Tale of the Atlantean Rangers
by Silver Warrior
Summary: A mighty evil is threatening Earth. Can the ancient powers of Atlantis be revived to save the world? Chapter Twelve up.
1. Evil Has Arrived

~Within a dark fortress~  
  
Upon a dark throne sits a being of nearly unsurpassable evil.  
  
An imp of some sort walks into the room and gets on its knees in a vile perversion of homage.  
  
"Sire, we have discovered that the Earth is practically defenseless!" the minion grovels.  
  
"What of the defenses it does have?" the dark being says, his voice sending chills down the spines of nearly all present.  
  
"They are busy fighting others," the minion says, continuing its groveling, "the ones from the future are trying to capture the mutant Ransik. The Wild Force Rangers are busy fighting the Orgs. The Zeo Crystal's power has been abandoned, as has the Temple of Power and Ninjor. And none of those capable of fighting us have the strength to do so. We could take the Earth with just a low ranking Fiend and a squad of Spectrons."  
  
"Very good," the Dark Specter, scourge of the known universe, says, his voice filled with pure evil, "send Divorx with 20 Spectrons to take out the first city on our list of targets."  
  
"Yes, my Lord," the minion says, getting up and scurrying out of the room.  
  
"What city am I destroying first?" Divorx, the 4th ranked Master of Spears demands.  
  
"You will be destroying a home that has many bright minds," the minion says with a crooked smile, "just random destruction."  
  
"Very well," Divorx says, "I shall return victorious. Carry on, Darkonda."  
  
"Take 20 Spectrons with you," Darkonda says.  
  
"Very well," Divorx sighs in disgust, "though I doubt I would need them."  
  
Darkonda, a former mighty warrior, second only to the Dark Specter, grins his toothy grin.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, on Earth, in a small city called Jackson, TN, a young teenager hurries to school.  
  
"Man, I'm late!" 17 year old Jesse Plunk cries out as he rushes to the bus stop.  
  
Jesse certainly looked odd. Standing about 5' 10" tall with a head of dark brown hair that for some reason, though it was obvious he had been trying to tame it, just wouldn't stay fixed without spraying hair spray in it. And Jesse couldn't stand hair spray. Stroking his goatee and adjusting his glasses, Jesse looks around with his blue-green eyes as part of his usual paranoia. He sees something glittering in the ditch. It was a bit of a distance from the bus stop, and where the glittering object was there was no way the bus driver would be able to see him.  
  
Debating as to whether to go and look or not, Jesse finally decides to go and see what was shining. One of Jesse's major weaknesses was his curiosity. But that weakness was countered by a strength few knew he had: he faked his naivete. He knew quite a lot about the world at large. He just pretended to be naïve and stupid in an attempt to get others to leave him alone. Who would want to hang around with a dunce, no matter how nice they were?  
  
Checking to see what the glittering object was, Jesse discovers that it is a metallic disc. It was about three inches across and a little less than an inch thick. It had 6 variously colored buttons on it. The buttons were as follows in color clockwise: silver, aqua, white, bronze, clear, and platinum. He carefully picks it up. The moment he touches it, it begins to glow silver. Jerking his hand away, Jesse stares at the glowing disc for a few minutes.  
  
He finally musters up his courage and picks it up. Nothing happens. After examining it for a moment, Jesse puts the disc in his backpack and goes back to the bus stop to catch the bus.  
  
In Limbo, a group of people watch what just happened in curiosity. They had watched the scene unfold within a large pool that would magically show them what they wished to see.  
  
"Why do you suppose the Silver Morpher has let itself be found?" an elderly man with a snow white beard, kind yet piercing blue eyes, and snow white short hair asks his colleagues.  
  
"I have no clue," says a man wearing a green robe marking him as a member of the Clan Green and a high ranking wizard, "and why would it let itself be found by a kid still in school?"  
  
"Zordon of Eltar chose teenagers to protect the Earth from Rita, Zedd, the Machine Empire, and Divatox," says a young woman in a flowing golden dress marking her as part of the nobility and part of Clan Eldryn on top of that.  
  
"Yes, but Zordon had a reason to choose them," the first man says. He was wearing a dark violet robe with a dark navy blue streak down the center that marked him as a member of the Clan Atalantari. The circlet of gold around his head marked him as an Elder.  
  
"Was not the Green Ranger chosen by Rita herself?" the man in green robes asks.  
  
"He was, but his powers were stripped from him and Zordon chose him to possess the power of the new Ranger on his team," the woman answers, "but this young man should not even be able to touch the Silver Morpher without some great power within him. And the rest of the world has long since lost the genetic power to wield it, and he doesn't appear to be trained in any forms of magic. And he certainly couldn't be part Atlantean, so something is amiss with this young lad."  
  
"It does not matter," the Elder replies, "Dark Specter is returning to Earth to destroy it like he tried to do to Atlantis eleven thousand years ago. The Atlantean Warriors defended us then and put up a great fight, but now the Earth doesn't even have the Atlantean Warriors. The teams of Power Rangers that they do have pale in comparison to even the Zeo Rangers, and even they would have been overcome by the power of the Dark Specter's true forces."  
  
"And the Dark Specter is even more powerful now than he was when he attacked Atlantis," the wizard says frantically, "even if this boy somehow managed to reform the six remaining Atlantean Warriors, he still wouldn't be able to defend the Earth. All previous attackers of the Earth have attacked only one city, and defenders would emerge from that city. But the Dark Specter will attack the entire Earth, not just any one city. The militaries of the various governments will be helpless against the Dark Specter's forces, and the Atlantean Warriors will not be able to defend against his continuous onslaughts."  
  
"Wait, even if he was able to use the Morpher, which he shouldn't be able to, he wouldn't be able to summon its full power yet," the Elder says, "he would be a Power Ranger, not an Atlantean Warrior."  
  
"But he would be able to stand up against the Dark Specter for a while," the wizard says, "though he would eventually be overwhelmed if he does receive assistance."  
  
"So what do we do?" the noblewoman asks.  
  
"All that we can do for now," the Elder replies with a sigh, "wait and watch. And hope."  
  
"What if he does manage to use the Silver Morpher?" the noblewoman asks.  
  
"Then we bring him here, brief him on what is happening, and hope he agrees to fight," the Elder replies.  
  
"And if he doesn't agree?" the wizard asks.  
  
"Then you know what the outcome will be," the Elder replies, "Earth will be conquered by the Dark Specter. And there will be nothing that we will be able to do about it."  
  
It had been an interesting school day for Jesse. Phys Ed had been fun, and a bit easier than usual. He hadn't gotten tired running the mile or any of the other exercises. It was as if he had a lot more strength and energy.  
  
He sets his backpack down on the floor of his bedroom. He opens the back pouch and pulls out the disc that he had found that morning. It was no longer glowing, but it still shone brightly. Examining it closely, Jesse could see what was probably some form of writing. But it looked like nothing he had ever seen. No, he had seen something like it before. But he couldn't remember where.  
  
Jesse briefly considered asking Alex for help since Alex had a scanner. They could copy the writing, if that was what it was, onto a piece of paper, put it through a scanner, and search the internet for a match. But then Jesse realized where he had seen something like this writing before. He quickly logs onto the internet and goes to a search engine. He quickly finds what he was looking for. Grabbing the disc, he compares the pictures on the screen with the disc he held in his hand.  
  
"I knew it!" he declares triumphantly, "ancient Greek. Or a variation of it, at least."  
  
He opens up a text file and begins comparing the symbols with modern English and types in the translation onto the text file. When he finishes, he prints it off and looks at it to see what it said.  
  
"If ye be pure of heart, mind, and soul, and have a righteous and noble cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in this sequence: Silver, Bronze, Platinum, Crystal, White, Aqua. Then call out for the Silver Power of Atlantis to strengthen you. If your cause is found to be worthy, you shall become a mighty Warrior. If your cause is not pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."  
  
"Wow, that certainly is strange," Jesse remarks after he reads the translation, "this thing is talking about some power of Atlantis? I knew Atlantis wasn't a myth!"  
  
Suddenly, he hears a knock on the door. Jesse rushes to the front door to find his best friend, Alex, standing there.  
  
Alex was a young man, just a few months younger than Jesse though they were a full school grade apart, standing a little over six feet tall. His eyes shown with great intelligence thoughtfulness. He wasn't very well built muscle-wise, yet he was deceptively strong. He stood a good three inches taller than Jesse. His hair was a little lighter in color than Jesse's, and was well-groomed into a sensible style.  
  
Hey dude, whats up?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Jesse, dude, check the news," Alex says, a worried look on his face.  
  
Jesse turns on the TV in the living room and turns it to Channel 3. A battle was going on. Police officer's were facing off against some sort of monster with a giant spear. The bullets they were fighting were having no effect. Also, several other strange creatures were attacking.  
  
"What is going on?" Jesse asks, turning to face Alex, "monsters attacking that city Angel Grove again?"  
  
"No, that's downtown Jackson," Alex replies, a grim look on his face.  
  
"What!" Jesse exclaims. He turns to look at the screen again. He recognized a few parts of downtown, including city hall. "This can't be."  
  
"'Fraid so man," Alex says, "and it appears no one is showing up to stop them."  
  
A bright flash of light emanates from the computer room.  
  
"What was that?" Alex asks.  
  
"I have no idea," Jesse says as he heads for the computer room to investigate.  
  
The disc that Jesse had found earlier was glowing! Not just shining, but truly glowing with a radiant silver light.  
  
"What is that Jesse?" Alex asks, awed.  
  
"I'm still not sure," Jesse says, "I found it while waiting for the bus this morning. I managed to translate the writing on it. It was in ancient Greek and says something about Atlantis."  
  
"Jesse, Atlantis is a myth!" Alex tells his friend firmly, "besides, what's important is that our city is under attack by monsters and we're all doomed." Jesse is silent.  
  
"Jesse, what are you thinking?" Alex asks, curious over Jesse's silence.  
  
Jesse walks up to the computer, where the disc was laying. He reaches out and picks it up.  
  
The instant he touches it, Jesse and Alex are teleported away, destination unknown.  
  
Jesse and Alex appear within a large domed citadel. It had pillars that were pure white with gold trim and artistic designs adorning them. Statues lined the walls with plaques on each one telling of the accomplishments of the person portrayed in each statues. They were before an assembly of elderly people, including the three who had observed Jesse finding the Silver Morpher earlier.  
  
"Greetings, Jesse Plunk and friend," the Elder says in a friendly greeting from his place at the head of the assembly, "I trust you did not find teleportation uncomfortable."  
  
"Uh, how do you know my name?" Jesse demands, "where are we?"  
  
"You are in the Hall of Heroes on Atlantis," the Elder replies, "and Atlantis is currently located within Limbo. As for how I know your name, it is magic."  
  
"Then why don't you know my friend's name?" Jesse demands.  
  
"Because he has not been connected to the network of Atlantean magic in any form that we know of," the noblewoman from earlier replies, "otherwise we would know his name and greet him accordingly."  
  
The wizard of the Clan Green was simply staring at Alex and one of the statues.  
  
"What is it Connerly?" the Elder asks.  
  
"Elder, look at the similarities between the young one's friend and Darien," Connerly, head wizard of Clan Green says. The Elder does so.  
  
"By the heavens, they look almost exactly alike!" the Elder replies.  
  
"Who is Darien?" Jesse asks.  
  
"All will be explained in time," the noblewoman replies, "as you know, your home town is under attack by monsters. You have an opportunity to be able to fight them and save your city."  
  
"How can I fight them?" Jesse asks, eager to know more yet cautious at the same time, "I'm not much of a fighter against ordinary people, much less monsters."  
  
"The disc that you found earlier today is an artifact of Atlantis that was lost when Atlantis was attacked and sent into Limbo over eleven thousand years ago," the Elder explains, "it is the mighty Silver Morpher, a relic that can transform you into a warrior very similar to the Power Rangers that have defended the Earth in recent years."  
  
"Me? A Power Ranger?" Jesse scoffs, "I try and pretend to be a hero in my imagination, but I am far from being a real hero."  
  
"Maybe so, but it takes a very special person to make the Silver Morpher react," Connerly tells him, "and for it to react so strongly you must be exceedingly rare."  
  
"I'll admit Jesse is no ordinary person at times, but he is far from being able to be a hero," Alex tells the assembly, "in fact, he hates fighting except when he's mad."  
  
"Or when I have a reason to fight," Jesse mutters.  
  
"Well, you have a reason to fight now," the Elder tells him, "will you accept this power until one who is better trained for it comes along and is able to use it?"  
  
"If it will defend my home, then yes," Jesse says with a nod of his head.  
  
"Then step forth and present the Silver Morpher to the assembly," Connerly says.  
  
Jesse steps forth and holds his hand out palm up with the Silver Morpher in it.  
  
The Elder, Connerly, and the Clan Eldryn noblewoman examine the Morpher, then hand it hand to Jesse.  
  
"You must figure out how to activate its powers," the Elder says after looking at the Morpher meaningfully, "we cannot tell you. It seems though that it will accept only you as its bearer for now."  
  
"But Jesse knows nothing about Atlantean technology," Alex protests, "you have to help him."  
  
"Actually, I think I may know how to summon this power," Jesse tells his friend, "before you arrived I was on the internet, translating the text on this disc. It was a form of ancient Greek. From that I figured out what it said."  
  
"Ancient Greek?" the noblewoman asks, outraged, "you are comparing the elegant language of Altantis to that of those cavemen of Greece?!"  
  
"I simply said there were enough similarities for me to translate," Jesse retorts.  
  
"Enough!" the Elder commands, "Eleanor, the Greeks derived their language from ours. So did many others, but they kept it the most pure for the longest time. Their civilization was greatly based on our own."  
  
"Still, they were so uncultured," Eleanor replies.  
  
"Jesse, will you please summon the power?" the Elder replies, "though to activate it as it will be, not at full power since you are not born of Atlantis, you must call out 'It's Morphin' Time!'"  
  
"Very well," Jesse says, "it's Morphin' time!"  
  
He presses the silver icon, then the bronze icon, then the platinum icon, then the crystal icon, then the white icon, and finally the aqua icon. He then holds the Morpher up in the air, similar in a way to that of what the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers did, though only they would know that.  
  
A flash of silver light envelops Jesse.  
  
The light slowly solidifies into a uniform. It was basically similar to the White Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. The shield was basically the same as the White Morphin Ranger's, though it was silver where the White Morphin Ranger's was gold and metallic white where it would be black. The helmet was similar to hat of the White Morphin Ranger's, though it had the design of a winged dragon instead of the tiger design that the White Ranger had. The boots reached halfway up Jesse's calves. They were gold with thin black stripes and black bars at the end and another black strip just above the ankle. It also had golden armbands. The belt it had on was similar to the belt worn by the White Ranger, only the buckle was silver with gold trim.  
  
As the light dissipates, Alex looks on with awe. That was Jesse? Jesse was becoming a hero? This was unreal.  
  
Jesse, is that you?" Alex asks.  
  
"Yeah dude, how do I look?" Jesse asks, his voice deeper and barely recognizable.  
  
"See for yourself," the Elder says, "Connerly."  
  
Connerly makes a few passes with his hands and a shining field forms in front of Jesse with the exact same properties as a mirror. Jesse examines himself in the mirror.  
  
"Incredible," he murmurs as he examines himself, "do I have any weapons?"  
  
"Search within your mind and you will know the answer," Connerly replies, "the power that fuels the Silver Morpher guides those who bear it by giving them innate knowledge of their capabilities. As you grow in skill and potential, it will guide you to new levels of power and skill."  
  
Jesse searches his mind and the answer forms. He stretches out his right hand into the air.  
  
"Silver Staff!" he calls out. A streak of light forms in his outstretched hand and solidifies into a Staff.  
  
To those who had seen the weapon wielded by the Gold Ranger, they would see various similarities between the two weapons. But where the Gold Ranger's Staff had three somewhat curved lines on two sides to form the head of the Staff, the Staff Jesse held in his hand had six spikes sticking out of each side. And it was silver instead of gold.  
  
"Wow, this was cool," Jesse murmurs as he examines his weapon.  
  
"Don't you prefer a sword, Jesse?" Alex asks.  
  
"Yes, but this Staff can form itself into a sword," Jesse replies, "Elder, do you think it is possible that the other Morphers can be retrieved and candidates be found to wield them?"  
  
The Elder looked genuinely surprised. "Son, the other Morphers are sealed away in various museums," he begins, "the Aqua Morpher lies in the remains of Pompei."  
  
"And the Green Morpher?" Jesse asks.  
  
"The great sage, Ninjor, used it to make the Power Coins that were used by the original Power Rangers," Connerly replies, "and they were then destroyed by a being known as Goldar during a very odd circumstance. It no longer exists."  
  
"This is sad," Jesse says, hanging his head, "I may have to fight this war on my own. Even if I could reach the true full potential of the Silver Atlantean Ranger, which I can't do without all six other Atlantean Rangers, I seriously doubt I could win this fight on my own."  
  
"You know who the enemy is?" Eleanor queries, surprised.  
  
"The Power told me," Jesse replies simply, "and now, I must go and save my home."  
  
With that, he leaps into a teleport, similar to the way that the Gold Ranger would teleport, only white with silver edges.  
  
Divorx was having a lot of fun. The law enforcement that the Earth had was completely pathetic. Even the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, using the powers of the DinoZords, would be able to put up more of a fight. None of them could even fight him face to face. They simply tried shooting him from a distance with low tech firearms. They didn't even have lasers! But Divorx still wanted a challenge. Terrifying humans was fun, but he still wanted a good fight.  
  
"Stop right there!" a deep voice commands.  
  
Divorx turns to see silver clad figure holding a staff. He could feel power of some sort emanating from this mystery figure, and it even felt a bit familiar.  
  
"If you want me to stop, then stop me," Divorx replies, "but first, you must prove yourself worthy to challenge me in combat. Spectrons, attack!"  
  
The Spectrons attack with extreme ferocity. They were a combination of the Cogs used by the now gone Machine Empire and the Quantrons used by Astronema, the Princess of Evil who turned good. They were even a bit reminiscent of the Piranhatrons used by the Pirate Queen Divatox. They were the best foot soldiers that the Dark Specter had. Their numbers were inexhaustible, and they were incredibly strong. And there were 20 Spectrons to face this single brave human.  
  
The Spectrons attack two at a time, using their large blade weapons (A/N: Think the weapons that Quantrons use.), but were thrown back by a series of punches and kicks as well as slashes with the head of the Staff.  
  
"You are very good," Divorx chuckles sinisterly, "are you human?"  
  
"You'll never know," the warrior retorts after slicing through a Spectron's chest armor.  
  
"Who are you?" Divorx asks as this mysterious warrior manages to defeat the last of the Spectrons.  
  
"I am the Silver Ranger of Atlantis!" the warrior replies with force, "and I am here to boot you off of this planet! This planet is my home!"  
  
Sitting on his throne, the Dark Specter rises in shock at the announcement the silver clad warrior. It couldn't be! Atlantis was destroyed eleven thousand years ago! He himself destroyed it! All of its technology should now be useless.  
  
And yet a human was definitely using the Power of Atlantis. Not just any power, but the Silver Power of Atlantis! The strongest Power of Atlantis was at this human's disposal.  
  
The Dark Specter begins to chuckle. The youth fought well, but it was obvious he was relying on the Power to guide him. He was no fighter. Divorx would make short work of him, especially if he got no reinforcements.  
  
Jesse blocks Divorx's spear with his Staff, keeping the spear from ripping into his left shoulder.  
  
"You're strong, Silver Ranger," Divorx sneers, "but you can't last much longer. No human can defeat me." With that, he pushes forward in a burst of strength, throwing Jesse against a wall. Jesse lands on the ground hard.  
  
Jesse slowly gets to his feet, clutching the Silver Staff just below the ornamental head in his left hand.  
  
"You think you have me beaten, monster," Jesse says confidently, "but I have only begun to fight." With that, he grabs the head of the Staff with his right hand, willing it to transform into a sword hilt. He then slides his left hand down the rest of the Staff. As his hand passes over the Staff, it transforms into a double edged silver blade.  
  
"Silver Saber, battle ready!" Jesse says, not holding the Silver Saber in his right hand.  
  
"You still can't beat me, Divorx, the 4th level Master of Spears!" Divorx cries out as he rushes Jesse.  
  
Back at Atlantis Alex, the Elder, Connerly, and Eleanor watch the battle.  
  
"You're friend has guts," Connerly remarks, "and he has a strong will. Yes, he just might be able to stand on his own long enough for us to figure out a way for him to fight on his own."  
  
"Yes, but can he take the burden of fighting?" Eleanor asks. She turns to Alex. "You know him well, I should hope. What do you think?"  
  
Alex was deep in thought watching the battle.  
  
"Young man?" Eleanor asks, placing a hand on Alex's right shoulder. Alex turns to face her.  
  
"Do you think he can handle fighting?" she asks again.  
  
"He can probably do it is he isn't on duty all the time," Alex responds, "Jesse isn't in the best of physical shape. He'll be feeling the effects of this battle for a long time to come. He won't last long."  
  
"The Power of the Atlantean Morphers protects their bearers," the Elder responds, "he will slowly get in much better physical shape. His strength, speed, and reflexes started increasing the moment he picked up the Silver Morpher. He should try and learn some self-defense without having to rely on the Silver Morpher. Right now I can see that he is hardly even using the knowledge of sword fighting that the Power is offering him."  
  
"Jesse prides himself on his knowledge of sword fighting techniques," Alex replies, "they are all self taught, so it is completely unrefined. Yet he could probably last a while in a real duel of life and death."  
  
"He will have to refine his skill," the Elder says, "he can keep his own style, but he must learn some true fighting techniques. If he doesn't, then he will be defeated for a lack of skill."  
  
During this conversation, Connerly ws looking at Alex strangely.  
  
"What is it?" Alex asks the Atlantean wizard.  
  
"You look so much like Darien," Connerly simply replies.  
  
"Who is Darien?" Alex demands.  
  
"Darien was one of the previous defenders of Atlantis, eleven thousand years ago," Connerly replies, "the Dark Specter attacked Atlantis, knowing that if we went on unhindered we would pose a threat to him far beyond anything else he could ever dream. So he decided to destroy Atlantis. The Atlantean Warriors, who now since their powers would not be as easily accessible in the hands of non Atlanteans thus making them have to become Power Rangers, defended us against his onslaughts. Darien, a kinsman of mine, was the Crystal Warrior. He came up with the idea of sending Atlantis into Limbo when the Dark Specter launched his final attack. That attack used up a lot of his energy, and we managed to divert most of it into the spell that brought us here."  
  
"What is Limbo?" Alex asks.  
  
"It is simply neither here nor there," Connerly replies, "it is in between the fabric of reality. From here, we could instantly go anywhere instantly."  
  
"Incredible," Alex says under his breath, "please go on with your story."  
  
"Well, after using up so much of the Dark Specter's power as well as so much of their own, the Atlantean Warrior's were trapped outside of Atlantis forever," Connerly resumes, "they settled various parts of the world. It took us centuries to create this magic pool to enable us to view the Earth. We later learned that when we sent ourselves into Limbo, the Dark Specter decided to try and conquer Earth. It took him a thousand years to regain all of the power that he used up. Unfortunately for him, by that time an Eltarian wizard named Zordon and an evil enchantress named Rita Repulsa came to Earth in their war of good and evil. Zordon's presence was so pure that it sent the Dark Specter away. Rita eventually trapped Zordon within a time warp of sorts and was then and forever trapped within a place very similar to Limbo. Zordon was the mentor to the original team of Power Ranger's. It was later learned that for some unknown reason, the Green Warrior, Daystar Cloud, gave his Green Morpher to a wise and noble sage named Ninjor and Ninjor then used its material to forge the original Power Coins that gave the Power Rangers their Power. Rita somehow stole the Green Coin and used it to create and evil Green Ranger when she resurfaced after Zordon defeated her ten thousand years ago. But the Green Ranger eventually overcame the evil spell she placed on him and joined the Power Rangers in their fight against Rita and her henchmen. His Power remained truest to its original form, that of the Green Atlantean Warrior. But now even that is practically lost forever. Of all of the Power Coins that Ninjor forged those thousands of years ago, only the Green Coin remains and its Power was stolen by Rita once again. It remained on the side of good this time, now being wielded by the Red Ranger. But when the Green Ranger returned by re- energizing his coin by absorbing the energy of a magic shield spell, he became a target. Take a Ranger's Powers and the team itself still stands firm. But destroy a Ranger and the team falls apart with grief. He nearly lost his life several times due to fading powers. Finally, the evil Lord Zedd caused his powers to be drained away for good. But then Zordon created the White Ranger. Now the Atlantean Warriors have a White Warrior, and hopefully we'll be able to find the Morpher and a suitable user, but he is in fact quite different from the White Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Far superior in every way. Why, a single Atlantean Ranger could take on every possible team of Power Rangers that Zordon ever devised. With the possible exception of the team that used the power of the Zeo Crystal."  
  
"Zeo Crystal?" Alex inquires.  
  
"The Zeo Crystal is a mighty magical crystal developed by the wizards of the M 51 galaxy," Connerly explains, "it's power is incredible. It was used by Zordon of Eltar to form the Zeo Rangers after some very unique events. The Zeo Rangers and the Atlantean Rangers are almost equal in power, though the Atlantean Rangers would be far stronger."  
  
"Whatever happened to the Zeo Crystal?" Alex asks.  
  
"Well, when the Pirate Queen Divatox arrived, a different power was needed," Connerly explains, "so they had to put away the Zeo Crystal and use the Power of Turbo. The Zeo Crystal is now lost. Only Zordon knew where it was, and he died when the aliens attacked the Earth a couple of years ago."  
  
"The same person that Rita Repulsa used to make her evil Green Ranger was made the White Ranger by Zordon," Connerly continues, "he eventually became the Red Zeo Ranger, Zeo Ranger 5. Finally, he was the first Red Turbo Ranger. In the end, he retired since he graduated from high school and was required to go on with his life. A greater warrior of good was never selected by Zordon and no other Ranger on any other team anywhere has been as mighty an enemy against evil. For only two others had to endure the trials of being evil, and one was plagued by a curse that kept him from helping his fellow Rangers too much. And the other is too much of a loner to truly join up with his fellow Rangers, though he helps them whenever they need it."  
  
"Incredible," Alex murmurs, "how many different teams of Rangers have there been?"  
  
"Several," Connerly replies, "if you count the team completely new whenever one person is replaced or someone is added, then twenty-six teams."  
  
"Twenty-six!" Alex yelps.  
  
"Yes, though there have only been 11 different Ranger powers," Connerly elaborates, "Currently, only the newest teams are in use. The DinoZord powers, the ThunderZord powers, the NinjaZord powers, the Zeo powers, and the Turbo powers are no longer in use. Only the Astro Rangers, the Galaxy Rangers, the Lightspeed Rangers, a couple of the Time Force Rangers, and the Wild Force Rangers are still on active duty."  
  
"Do you think any of them could help Jesse?" Alex asks.  
  
"The Astro Rangers are on the planet KO-35, home to their Red Ranger," Connerly replies, "the Galaxy Rangers are defending the Terra Venture colony, the Lightspeed Rangers are somewhat disbanded, only coming together when absolutely needed. The Time Force Rangers are fighting a mutant named Ransik, trying to capture him and make him pay for his crimes. They are law enforcers, not true fighters against evil. They fight the more common evils. And the Wild Force Rangers aren't even at their true full fighting strength. They lack their Red Ranger. So Jesse is in truth alone in this fight. Though with the way the Dark Specter will be attacking, he may team up with these other Rangers at times. At least the ones of Earth, anyway."  
  
"So Jesse really is fighting all alone," Alex says mournfully.  
  
"Yes, but hopefully not for long," Eleanor replies firmly, "we will do all that we can to locate the other Morphers so he can have some help."  
  
"Look!" the Elder cries out, alarmed, "things are not looking good!"  
  
Indeed, things were not looking good for Jesse. His sword skills were indeed raw and unrefined. And unlike Divorx, he did not know of any long range attacks that he could perform.  
  
Divorx charged his spear and hurled and energy blast from it at Jesse. The blast hits him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Jesse struggles to his feet, digging the Silver Saber into the ground, leaning on it for support.  
  
"Man, this is though," he mutters, "how did the other Power Rangers do it so much? Oh yeah, there was always at least five of them and there's only me here. Maybe there is something in my repertoire that will help."  
  
He focuses a minute, searching within his mind for the vast knowledge that he had acquired once morphed. A few seconds later he found something that could help.  
  
Standing up, Jesse whirls the sword the sword clockwise in front of him until his wrist was bent back, then whirls the sword around and basically cuts through the arc he had just made. The moment the two paths cross a bolt of energy flies out of the sword and strike Divorx in the chest. But the attack only slightly hinders the monster.  
  
"So, you have a bit more of a sting than I thought," Divorx chuckles, "but its not enough!" With that, he hurls another energy bolt at Jesse. Jesse jumps out of the attacks way and sends another bolt of energy at Divorx, but it does no more damage than the first.  
  
"So, you think you can defy my power?" Divorx laughs, "well, then, allow me to show you a true energy blast!" He charges up an enormous amount of energy in the tip of his spear. You could plainly see an orb of yellow energy with black lightning bolts crackling our and around it forming.  
  
"Eve if you dodge this, I will cause an incredible amount of destruction and no doubt kill many of these insignificant humans," Divorx laughs. He hurls the energy sphere at Jesse.  
  
Jesse performs his energy attack again, only this time he focuses the energy into the arc of the blade. The maneuver forms a barrier of energy that is strong enough to not only deflect Divorx's blast, but absorbs it. Jesse then finishes the attack with it now charged with the power of Divorx's own attack.  
  
The sharp wave of energy plows through Divorx, knocking him back and into a wall. He lands on his feet and charges Jesse again. Jesse blocks the spear swing with his Silver Saber. This was not good. He was using every trick he could think of and whatever he could get from the pool of knowledge that was the power of the Silver Atlantean Ranger, but to no avail. He was doing everything in his power and he still couldn't win.  
  
Jesse leaps away from Divorx and changes he Silver Saber back into Staff mode.  
  
Jesse holds up the Staff up in the air in his right hand. Silver energy gather in the blade of the Staff. "Silver Blast!" he calls out as he aims the blade at Divorx.  
  
A tremendous blast of energy emits from the Staff and collides into Divorx, shredding his defenses and Divorx himself. As the energy dissipates, Divorx falls to his knees.  
  
"You are stronger than you look, Silver Ranger," Divorx says, gasping in pain, "but I will be back, stronger than before!"  
  
With that, he teleports away.  
  
"Darn, he got away," Jesse mutters, "well, better get back to Atlantis. Jesse teleports away as well.  
  
"Good fight, young Jesse," the Elder congratulates, "a hard fought victory."  
  
"It wasn't a complete victory," Jesse protests, "I didn't have enough power to destroy him."  
  
"You are not yet are your full energy level," Connerly tells him, "your attacks aren't at their optimum strength. You did incredibly well for your first battle though."  
  
"Divorx said he would be back," Jesse tells them.  
  
"And he will be, no doubt more wary than before," Eleanor says, "but you will be stronger as well. When you meet Divorx in the field of battle again, one of the two of you will not return alive."  
  
"That sounds way too ominous," Jesse says, "but I do suppose its true. Divorx hurt plenty of people. He may have even killed some."  
  
"Next time, you won't be so late in arriving at the battle," the Elder says, "and during your spare time, you will be training here to improve your fighting prowess."  
  
"And now, for the rules," Eleanor says, "you must only fight to defend and not to attack."  
  
"What if there is a chance to stop the being attacking?" Jesse asks.  
  
"It would be unwise to attack the Dark Specter before you are at your full strength," the Elder replies, "and even then it would be extremely hazardous. In fact, it would be best to wait until all of his forces are depleted or when he comes into battle himself to wait and fight him. Otherwise, he would surely destroy you."  
  
"Well, then I guess we really need to find the other Morphers then," Jesse says, "because I certainly cannot do all of this fighting alone. My physical health just isn't good enough to do this alone."  
  
"The Silver Morpher will increase your physical abilities even when you aren't morphed," Connerly says, "and anything that would weaken you in combat will be taken care of by the Power. You won't even catch a cold while you have the Silver Morpher."  
  
"That's no problem," Jesse interrupts, "I've hardly been sick in years. Only a few bugs that made me feel horrible for a day or two but nothing I couldn't handle."  
  
"The Dark Specter will not just attack your home town," the Elder replies, "he will attack the entire planet. He is not like the other villains who have attacked. They attack where they have opposition, and once they have destroyed that opposition, they attack the rest of the planet. But he will attack everywhere. Angel Grove, Leewood, Jackson, Washington, DC, New York; He will attack everywhere. The Power Rangers of before, who were supposed to protect the entire planet, in truth only protected their hometown. This is because those villains would only attack where they had opposition."  
  
"Are there any other rules?" Jesse asks.  
  
"To never use your powers for personal gain, and to never reveal your identity if you can help it," Connerly injects, "and to always be merciful to those who ask for it. Be it killing someone who is in pain, or offering sanctuary to a monster who asks for it."  
  
"That sounds easy enough," Jesse says, "but what about Alex? I know he can be trusted, and if it is possible I would like for him to fight at my side. The two of us make a great team."  
  
"If he is able to use one of the missing Morphers, then he is welcome to it," the Elder replies, "as it is, he can try and learn to use some Atlantean magic. He seems to have the potential to be a wizard of Atlantis. As it turns out, one of the last Atlantean Warriors was an ancestor of his."  
  
"You mean Darien of the Clan Green?" Jesse asks.  
  
"How did you know?" Connerly asks.  
  
"The same thing that taught me everything else I used in that fight," Jesse replies simply, "the Power."  
  
"Amazing," Alex whispers, awed.  
  
"During situations where you must prove your own worth, that pool of knowledge, which is incredibly vast, will not be available to you," the Elder replies, "such as during schoolwork. It is not the easy way out. You can use that knowledge for studying, but not for the tests. You will have to learn the stuff on your own."  
  
"I have more pride in my own abilities than to do that," Jesse replies, "I do not take the easy way out. Ever."  
  
"It's true," Alex injects, "Jesse does everything on his own when it comes to proving his abilities. This might become a problem if the others who are able to use the Morphers taunt him."  
  
"I just hope that there aren't any that are girls," Jesse shudders.  
  
"And what is wrong about girls?" Eleanor demands, furious.  
  
"Jesse has had way too many bad experiences with girls in the past," Alex answers for his friend, "he'll get over it eventually, especially if he has to work with a girl to defend the Earth."  
  
"Well, the two of you must return to your homes," the Elder announces, "I believe tomorrow is not a school day. You can come here to train. Both of you."  
  
He hands a small wristband to Alex and a matching one to Jesse. They resembled the communicators of the original Power Rangers, with Jesse's having silver stripes and Alex's having green and blue stripes.  
  
"These are communicators," he explains once seeing their puzzled expressions, "they are modeled after the ones that the original Blue Power Ranger from Angel Grove designed. With them you can contact each other, us, and use the teleportation relay to get here or another place that you have a good mental picture of."  
  
"Cool," was all Jesse had to say.  
  
"Momentous," Alex says, agreeing.  
  
"Now go to your homes," Eleanor says, "and be prepared for a rough day of training tomorrow."  
  
Alex and Jesse nod their heads and teleport home.  
  
"Do you think teaching him Atlantean magic is a wise decision Connerly?" the Elder asks.  
  
"Jesse is gonna need all of the help he can get," Connerly replies, "and Alex has a lot of potential for Atlantean magic for not being a pure blooded Atlantean. In fact, the Atlantean blood in him is practically non- existant."  
  
"Hopefully he can aid Jesse enough until we can find another Morpher," the Elder says, "hopefully he'll be able to use its power."  
  
"Indeed," Eleanor says, "otherwise, the Earth is doomed." 


	2. The Silver Dragon's Rebirth

"Hey Jesse, whats up?" Alex asks. It was the day after the monster attack. Jesse's had gone ballistic. Lucky for Jesse he had been logged onto the internet at the time Alex had come over, so she never knew that he wasn't home. But she still gave him an earful when she got home. Alex's parents were more lenient with him. He told them that he was over at Jesse's house, helping him search something on the internet.  
  
"Nothing much dude," Jesse replies, "ready to head out?"  
  
"Yep," Alex replies. He reaches for the wrist communicator that the Elder of Atlantis had given him. Jesse had a matching one. Jesse kept his in his pocket though. He presses one of the buttons.  
  
"Yes Alex?" the Elder's voice comes from the speaker on the communicator.  
  
"Jesse and I are ready to teleport to Atlantis," he replies.  
  
"Shouldn't Jesse be the one making this call?" the Elder inquires.  
  
"Jesse couldn't figure out how his worked," Alex replies, "his communicator is a little different from mine."  
  
"It should be," the Elder replies, "it is set to be able to contact he other Rangers if and when we find their Morphers and find a suitable person to wield their Power. We would have done the same with yours, but we have a feeling that it would be best to just make the change for you when it is needed."  
  
"Makes sense," Alex says, "okay, teleport us now."  
  
With that, Jesse disappears in a streak of white light with silver edges while Alex disappears in a streak of blue and green intermixed light.  
  
"Welcome to the training hall," Connerly booms when the two appear, "this is where you shall both train in physical combat. Alex will be trained in the use of magic somewhere else, but he will be trained to fight hand to hand. It would be best to prepare him now for the possibility of becoming an Atlantean Ranger instead of waiting for it to actually happen. Besides, he may get attacked by some Spectrons sometime or another and won't be able to summon any magic in time to stop them. That is, if he even knows any attack spells by then."  
  
"What do you mean?" Alex asks.  
  
"There are various types of spells in most forms of magic," Connerly begins, "there are healing spells, which should be obvious as many RPG video games I believe the two of you play. There are various attack spells, such as fireballs and lightning bolts and small earthquakes. Then there are support spells, such as spells that block stuff." He turns to look at Jesse.  
  
"I believe you were playing a game called Final Fantasy 6 last night," he says, "the spell 'Shell' from that game can be considered a support spell."  
  
"When you put it in terms like that, even I understand," Jesse says with a grin. Alex nods his agreement.  
  
"Of course, there are other types of spells, but many of them only people born on Atlantis or have a natural gift for the type of magic can use them," Connerly says, "luckily, there aren't many. And it's doubtful that you would ever need them."  
  
"Okay, then shall we begin with the training?" Jesse asks, "Alex and I have to prepare for a game night tomorrow at church and we're providing an original game."  
  
"Correction," Alex interrupts, "you are providing the background story for the game, I am coming up with the game itself."  
  
"I mentioned the two of us," Jesse whines, "you don't have to be specific. That's supposed to be my job in this friendship."  
  
"Shall we begin then?" the Elder asks, hoping to forestall an argument.  
  
"Yes, lets," Alex and Jesse say in unison.  
  
A lean, muscular man apparently in his mid twenties to early thirties enters the training hall from the far side.  
  
"Honored Elder, have the two I am to train arrived yet?" he asks.  
  
"Yes, these are the two young men you shall be training," the Elder says, indicating Alex and Jesse.  
  
"What, these twigs?" the man scoffs, "the taller one looks like he might do good if he gained some weight and converted it into muscle, but this other one won't do at all. He needs to either lose a lot of weight or convert it into muscle."  
  
"These are the two you shall train to fight," Eleanor says firmly, "your opinions of them do not matter. You cannot refuse Jacolby. You will train them and you will teach them everything you know. Even your special techniques of manipulating non-magical energy."  
  
"Which one is the Silver Warrior?" Jacolby asks.  
  
"Actually for now it appears that I will be called the Silver Ranger," Jesse answers.  
  
"YOU?!" Jacolby laughs, "you couldn't last in a real fight without the Power protecting you. I even doubt you could even hold your own against me without morphing."  
  
"Shall we give it a try then?" Jesse asks, an eyebrow raised and his head cocked to the right."  
  
Jesse crouches into a crude fighters stance.  
  
"Sloppy," Jacolby grunts, "you've never even had ANY kind of formal training, have you?"  
  
"No sir," Jesse replies, "shall we get on with this? I realize I need training, and the quicker we get on with this the quicker we can get to the real training."  
  
"Then go ahead and attack me," Jacolby says, "like a true warrior, I am ready to fight at any time."  
  
Wordlessly, Jesse charges at Jacolby. Jacolby simply grabs the hand that Jesse tries to punch him with and twists it. To his credit, Jesse hardly even buckles down in pain. He simply tries to kick at Jacolby's gut. Jacolby stops the attack by performing a classic judo throw on Jesse with the hand that he was gripping.  
  
Jacolby follows up by performing a crescent kick aimed right at Jesse's head. Jesse rolls out of the attack's way and quickly gets to his feet. He does his best to perform a standing side kick, but Jacolby simply grabs his foot, twists it, and knocks Jesse to the ground with a kick to the heel of his other foot.  
  
"Pathetic," Jacolby mutters, "even some of the raw beginner's that I've trained can do better than this."  
  
Jesse replies with a spinning uppercut that takes him into the air. Surprised by the attack more than hurt by it, Jacolby backs off.  
  
Alex just watches in amazement as Jesse performs his imitation of the Dragon Punch from Street Fighter.  
  
"What was that?!" Jacolby demands.  
  
"It's just a move from a video game I play," Jesse replies, "it's about the only one I can actually do, though I may be able to do some more after you train me. Particularly when I'm morphed."  
  
"Surprised, Jacolby?" the Elder says, "Jesse obviously could have taken the fight to you if he had tapped into the pool of knowledge that he gets from being the Silver Ranger, but he didn't."  
  
"Yes, why didn't you do that?" Jacolby asks, his interest sparked.  
  
"Jesse wanted to show you what he could do without the Power guiding him," Alex says for his friend, "he knows he's not a fighter, but prides himself on begin able to fight when he has to. About all he's ever shown is that he can take pain well."  
  
:"Yes, those simple maneuvers I pulled on you should have at least caused you some discomfort, if not actual harm," Jacolby asks Jesse, "how wee you able to shrug them off?"  
  
"The actual damage I'll be feeling fairly soon if it was lasting," Jesse replies, "but as for the pain itself, it is all in the mind."  
  
"I know pain is in the mind, but how did you shut it away with such ease?" Jacolby snaps.  
  
"I've dealt with pain most of my life," was Jesse's simple reply, "I've learned to shut it out. In doing this, I have also learned to shut out my senses. When I want to focus, I shut out my sense of hearing. Most of the time I leave my sense of smell shut down to heighten my other senses, particularly my sight." He taps his glasses. "And I need all of the help that I can get when it comes to improving my eyesight."  
  
"Amazing," Jacolby gasps, "you have accomplished something only the most seasoned fighters have been able to do simply by living your life. How sad."  
  
"Don't pity me," Jesse replies sharply, "one thing I never want from anybody is pity."  
  
"Well, can we please begin the fighting lessons?" Jesse asks, "what if the Dark Specter attacks today? I barely defeated Divorx yesterday, and today would be a perfect chance for him to attack again while I am still recuperating from the fight."  
  
"But you did some good damage to him yesterday," Alex protests, "surely he's still healing as well."  
  
"I'm afraid not," Jacolby says, "these monsters have greatly superior healing abilities. In truth they are aliens, but they are twisted. In fact, most alien faces greatly resemble humans. The Red and Silver Astro Rangers are from the planet KO-35 and they actually are humans. Though that is a long story. And the Gold Ranger who helped the Zeo Rangers was actually the prince of Triforia. Though Triforians are a bit different from Earth humans. But that too is a tale for another time."  
  
"Now for us to begin," Jacolby says. And he puts the two of them through the time of their lives.  
  
A week goes by and both Jesse and Alex have learned to defend themselves fairly well against Spectrons without Jesse having to morph. Alex, in turn, has also learned many healing spells from Connerly. And the both of them have also learned a lot about Atlantean society and history. They have also learned everything about past and present Ranger teams.  
  
"The Astro Rangers have all but retired," the Elder explains, "the Galaxy Rangers are busy on Mirinoi. The Lightspeed Rangers have defeated the demons that they were brought together to fight and are now enjoying a time of leisure. The Time Force Rangers are busy trying to capture the mutant Ransik. And the Wild Force Rangers have only just recently found their Red Ranger. The only active Turbo Ranger is around your age now and he hasn't seen any active duty since before the Countdown."  
  
"So I am all on my own?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Since Alex has yet to learn any spells that would prove useful in the heat of battle, yes," Eleanor says, "but worry not. You are a formidable foe for the Dark Specter even on your own."  
  
"He hasn't made a move since that initial attack eight days ago," Alex comments, "though it would seem doubtful that he has given up." Jesse agrees.  
  
"The Dark Specter would never give up," the Elder says, "he was supposedly killed during the Countdown and even we are baffled as to how he is still alive."  
  
"Well, he'll pay for selecting my hometown for his first target," Jesse says vehemently, "he attacked Earth before. He's a danger to everyone in the universe, and that threat must be eliminated."  
  
"You are correct Jesse," Connerly says, "the Dark Specter will not only focus on Earth, as the others who have attacked before have done, but he will attack other planets as well. You may have to go to them and help their defenders."  
  
"What?!" Jesse and Alex yelp, "go to other planets? Like the Astro Rangers?"  
  
"And various other Power Ranger teams," the Elder says, "one of the original Power Rangers teams went to the planet Edenoi. The Power Rangers of Aquitar helped during a very dangerous time some time ago. And the Gold Ranger, Prince Trey of Triforia, came to help the Zeo Rangers against the Machine Empire. The Phantom Ranger, whoever he is, came to help the second group of Turbo Rangers. He was from the planet Eltare."  
  
"Say, does the Dark Specter have the ability to make monsters grow, like all of those others did?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Why do you ask?" Connerly asks.  
  
"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Jesse says, "if he can, then how am I to fight them?"  
  
"Worry about that when the time comes," Connerly says, "for now, just focus on your training."  
  
  
  
Aboard the Dark Specter's ship, Divorx is kneeling before the mighty monarch of Evil.  
  
"Divorx, you failed to conquer an unprotected town," he says, his voice tinged with pure anger and hatred, though it was directed at no one, "though even I was taken by surprise by the appearance of this mysterious fighter. I believe he is a Power Ranger, but unlike the others that you could have ever faced. You have fought the Zordon's original Rangers when he fought Rita 10,000 years ago. You fought the Rangers of Aquitar during the Countdown, as well as the Gold Ranger. You were one of the warriors to attack Eltare. Now the Ranger's are without their most respected mentor and weak. But this warrior is unlike any other you have ever fought. His power was as great as that of the Zeo Crystal. Maybe even greater than the Quasar Sabers that Scorpius wanted so badly. What is your opinion of this warrior?"  
  
"He is strong, yet obviously undisciplined and weak," Divorx says, "he took me by surprise. I underestimated his ability. I will not do so again. With your leave, I will finish what I started."  
  
"Go and do so," the Dark Specter says, "take a platoon of Spectrons with you."  
  
"Yes, my lord," Divorx says before standing up and leaving.  
  
"Divorx, if you fail again, do not bother returning," Dark Specter tells the fading figure of Divrorx.  
  
Divorx appears in downtown Jackson with 10 Spectrons. Spectrons were the new minions of the Dark Specter. They were like Quantrons, but they had black shield armor and they generally carries either a sword, a spear, an axe, or a halberd instead of the weapon normally carried by Quantrons. Their strength was slightly more than that of a Quantron, but they were not smarter.  
  
"Attack, Spectrons, and destroy everything in sight!" Divorx commands.  
  
Back on Atlantis, one of Connerly's spells flare up in front of everyone in the training hall.  
  
"What's going on?" Alex asks.  
  
"Dark Specter is attacking Earth," Connerly explains. He makes a few gestures with his hands. A rectangle appears in front of them, a picture forming within it.  
  
"That's downtown Jackson!" Jesse says angrily the moment he sees something he recognizes.  
  
"Divorx has returned to finish the job he started last week," the Elder says.  
  
"Until he is destroyed, he will continue to attack your home," Eleanor says, "but no doubt he will die after this fight anyway. It is likely that the Dark Specter told him to get the job done this time or not to return at all. He will let loose everything within his power in this fight. Be careful Jesse."  
  
"Right," Jess says, nodding. He pulls out the Silver Morpher and presses the buttons in the proper sequence.  
  
"It's Morphin time!" Jesse calls out, "Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
He disappears in a flash of silver light.  
  
Jesse appears in his Silver Atlantean Ranger outfit in downtown Jackson.  
  
"Divorx!" he calls out, "this has got to end!"  
  
"I agree, Silver Ranger," Divorx says, grinning wickedly, "but, alas, it is your end, not mine, that will appear today." With that, he hurls an energy bolt at Jesse, who jumps out of the way.  
  
"Spectrons, attack!" Divorx commands. The Spectrons run at Jesse, weapons drawn.  
  
"Silver Staff!" Jesse calls out, extending his hand for his weapon. He immediately transforms it into its sword mode and meets the Spectrons face to face.  
  
Blocking one Spectrons attack with his Silver Saber, he back kicks another as it tries to get the jump on him from behind. He breaks the deadlock with that one Spectron and slashes it across the chest. He back flips, slashing another Spectron on its torso as he lands. He blocks another Spectrons axe, pulling the weapon in closer and kneeing the Spectron in the gut, followed by driving its head into the ground with a wrestling move.  
  
Two Spectrons try a pincer attack on Jesse from the sides, but he simply jumps into the, performs the splits, and kicks both of them in the chest. As he lands, he blasts an oncoming Spectron with his sword.  
  
A few minutes later and the Spectrons have retreated, leaving Jesse to deal with Divorx alone.  
  
"So, human, we meet again on the field of battle," Divorx says, lowering his spear so that it is level with his waist, blade aimed at Jesse, "this time, you will not walk away."  
  
"No, it is you who will not walk away," Jesse says as he crouches into a fighting stance.  
  
Yelling, Divorx charges Jesse. Jesse blocks the stab of Divorx's spear with his sword, pushing it aside. Unfortunately, in doing so he enabled Divorx to land a kick to his chest. The kick sends Jesse flying into the wall of a building. Biting back the pain, Jesse struggles to his feet. But Divorx was not about to let the Silver Ranger have a chance to regroup. He charges in, jabbing his spear down, aiming for Jesse's heart.  
  
Jesse quickly teleports out of the way. He was glad now that Jacolby had insisted on him practicing to incorporating the teleportation system into his fighting style. He appears in the air, slashing down at Divorx's back with his blade charged with energy.  
  
The slash drives deep into Divorx, who screams in pain. He stumbles away, turning around to face his opponent.  
  
"You have improved since our last encounter," Divorx chuckles, "if I hadn't had to heal from that attack that you hit me with when we last met, you would be sorely pressed to win this time around."  
  
"Yeah, but that's the past," Jesse says, grinning beneath his helmet, "we are fighting in the here and now."  
  
"Tell me, young human, where does your Power come from?" Divorx asks, "I would like to know what kind of Ranger I am about to destroy."  
  
"I am a Power Ranger of Atlantis," Jesse replies simply.  
  
Back at the Dark Specter's ship, the Dark Specter roars while Darkonda watches in amusement.  
  
"What is it, mighty monarch of all Evil?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"That is a Power Ranger of Atlantis!" Dark Specter says, not actually answering Darkonda, "but I destroyed Atlantis thousands of years ago. Where does he really get his Power?"  
  
"You expect me to believe you are from Atlantis?" Divorx scoffs, "Atlantis fell twelve thousand years ago at the hands of the Dark Specter. Where do you really get your Power?"  
  
"I tell the truth," Jesse says, crouching into a fighting position, "and you shall soon see that I am not lying."  
  
"Maybe you just believe your Power comes from Atlantis," Divorx says smugly, "but you are not fighting at your fullest. Is it because there are so many civilians nearby? Or do you not want to risk your identity being discovered. I recall that being one of Zordon of Eltare's rules: never let anyone find out your identity. Well, if that is what is holding you back, then let us take this battle to someplace else. Say, an island far away from here? It will still be on this planet, of course. I want to destroy you, but I want a challenge and for you to know that even fighting at your best you couldn't defeat me."  
  
"Then let's go," Jesse says, "see if you can follow my teleportation signal." With that, he teleports to an island that was one of the few remaining pieces of Atlantis in the Atlantic.  
  
"Foolish human," Divorx snorts, but he follows moments later.  
  
The two appear on a deserted island. There was little vegetation, but plenty of room for them to battle.  
  
"So, are you ready now to die?" Divorx asks as he gets into a fighting stance.  
  
"Are you?" Jesse asks, crouching down, ready to pounce and strike.  
  
"As they say in a TV show here on this planet, it is a good day to die," Divorx says before charging.  
  
Jesse leaps over Divorx, slashing at his back as he lands, but Divorx's momentum carries him out of the attacks range. Divorx pivots and fires an energy bolt from his spear. The bolt hits Jesse in the chest, throwing him off balance and to the ground.  
  
Jesse gets up as fast as he can, but not fast enough. Before he can get prepared to defend himself, Divorx swings his spear and cuts Jesse in the cut. The blade goes through the armor and cuts into Jesse's abdomen. The force of the attack knocks Jesse into the air. Divorx quickly spins the spear around and brings it down on Jesse while he is in midair. The force of the strike cuts even deeper into the Ranger armor and dislocates Jesse's left shoulder.  
  
Jesse quickly gets to his feet and prepares to continue the fight.  
  
"You honestly don't know what your doing, do you?" Divorx asks, "your power was able to carry you through the fights with the Spectrons, but against an experienced warrior such as myself you are nothing."  
  
"Never underestimate a human, you dork," Jesse replies. He changes his Silver Saber into the Silver Staff and aims at Divorx. A beam of silver energy fires at Divorx, hitting him in the chest and doing moderate damage.  
  
Divorx quickly counters by firing a massive energy blast from his spear. It hits the ground just in front of Jesse. The explosion knocks Jesse into the air. Divorx leaps into the air, ready to ram his spear into Jesse. Jesse immediately changes the Silver Staff into the Silver Saber. He pivots midair and jams the Silver Saber right into Divorx's abdomen.  
  
The two hit the ground, Divorx landing on top of Jesse. The force of the impact sends the Silver Saber through Divorx's gut and through the other side.  
  
They lay there for a minute or two until Jesse finally shoves Divorx off of him and pulls his Silver Saber out of Divorx. Jesse painstakingly gets to his feet, holding his side where Divorx cut through his armor.  
  
"This guy was tough," he mutters, "I hope all of them aren't this strong." He turns to walk away a respectable distance from the corpse to teleport to Atlantis.  
  
"You haven't won yet, Silver Ranger," Divorx says from behind.  
  
Shocked, Jesse turns around to see Divorx standing, his hand on his gut where the Silver Saber had just been.  
  
"You're good, Silver Ranger," Divorx says, "or did you just get lucky? No matter, you still won't win." He begins laughing. But as he laughs, he begins to grow in size. He continues to grow until he is the size of the Shogun Megazord.  
  
"Dear God," Jesse gasps, "how can I beat that?"  
  
His communicator beeps.  
  
"What is it? I'm facing a ten story tall monster at the moment. I'm trying to decide whether I want to be stepped on or eaten." The Elder's voice comes from the communicator.  
  
"Jesse, you do have a Zord."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A Zord," the Elder answers, "a giant battle machine that the other Power Rangers have used in the past. Use the Silver Staff to summon the Silver Dragon, the Zord of Atlantis."  
  
"Gotcha," Jesse says as he turns the Silver Saber into the Silver Staff.  
  
"I call upon the Silver Dragon, the Silver Zord of Atlantis!" Jesse calls out. A small silver spark shoots from the Staff. It stops midair, even with Divorx's waist. It begins to grow and take shape. It finally takes the shape of a Dragon.  
  
The Silver Dragon looked fierce. It looked a lot like Serpentera, only its head was more like the Red Dragon Thunderzord. Its color was mostly silver, though it has red, gold, and green highlights in a very beautiful pattern, mostly around its upper torso. But unlike Serpentera and the Thunderzords, it looked smooth and uniform, like the Wild Zords of the Wild Force Rangers.  
  
"Incredible," Jesse murmurs.  
  
"Jesse, leap into the cockpit so you can control it. It has a telepathic relay system. Whatever you do to fight is what it will do."  
  
"Thanks Elder," Jesse says, then leaps into the cockpit of the Silver Dragon Zord.  
  
"Zord of Atlantis, the Silver Dragon is ready for battle," Jesse says as he puts the Silver Staff in a slot before him. The cockpit was remarkably similar to that of the White Tigerzord that the White Morphin Ranger piloted.  
  
"Fire!" Jesse calls out. The Silver Dragon Zord opens its mouth and a silver energy blast spews from it. Divorx blocks it with his spear.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that," Divorx chortles as he launches lightning bolts at the Silver Dragon Zord. Jesse takes to the air and begins swooping down, firing his lasers from the mouth of the Zord.  
  
Divorx deflects the laser shots with his spear, knocking them away. He fires stream after stream of lightning-like energy at the Zord, but Jesse dodges.  
  
"Wow, this is intense!" Jesse whoops as he feels every sensation that the Zord feels. He then notices a set of commands. He enters them.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord, Warrior mode conversion begin," a mechanical voice says, similar to that of the original Megazord's mode change voice.  
  
The legs extend slightly and begin to change as if a fluid. The arms extend as well and the draconic claws split and separate to reveal human- like hands. The tail splits into four sections and snakes around the legs and arms, then spread out to form a sort of armor. The neck splits and lowers, covering part of the upper torso. The draconic head splits down the middle and sets about forming a humanoid head quite similar to that of the Red Dragon Thunderzord's Warrior mode. The head then lowers and settles itself properly. The wings folds, split, and somewhat retract and form a cape, the talon of each wing focusing just in front of the face, locked together. A the remains of the tail fold and strap across the back, revealing a sword and scabbord.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord Warrior mode Zord transformation complete," the mechanical voice says, "pilot conversion beginning."  
  
"What the?" Jesse yelps before a silvery substance covers him. It eventually molds to cover Jesse, making him now look like a human sized version of his Zord's Warrior mode.  
  
"Wow, this is incredible!" Jesse cries out, jumping into the air with a fist raised. The Zord mimics his movements.  
  
"What the?" Jesse wonders. He experiments. He leaps into the air and does a back flip. The Zord mimics his movements.  
  
"Cool! It mimics me!" He summons the Silver Saber. The Zord draws the sword that is strapped across its back.  
  
Holding the sword in his right hand, Jesse extends his left hand and motions for Divorx to attack. Divorx obliges. Sensing something now different about how the Zord is acting, Divorx goes for its legs. Jesse flips out of the way, slashing Divorx in the shoulder.  
  
Divorx fires an energy blast from his spear. The blast hits the Silver Dragon Zord in the chest, sending sparks flying.  
  
Jesse charges Divorx, slashing at the spear wielder's chest followed by a punch. Divorx blocks both attacks with a twirl of his spear and counters by slashing upwards from the ground with the blade of his spear. The force of the strike sends the Silver Dragon Zord Warrior Mode into the air.  
  
Jesse quickly begins the conversion and transforms the Zord back into its creature mode. Flying high into the sky, Jesse prepared for a major counter- offensive.  
  
"Take this freak," he mutters as he pilots the Silver Dragon Zord into a dive. Just before hitting Divorx, he switches to Warrior Mode and hits Divorx feet first in the head. The force of the blow knocks Divorx for a loop  
  
Divorx hits the ground and rolls. He picks himself back up and prepares to attack. Unfortunately, Jesse was now relentless in his attack just as Divorx had been in his. The Silver Dragon Zord Warrior Mode slashed at Divorx cutting him in his right arm, shredding some of his armor and muscle. Divorx howls in pain as the blade cuts him. He backs off, holding his injury with his left hand, barely gripping his spear in his right.  
  
"Don't think you've won," Divorx snarls, "I'll be back." The light of teleportation begins to surround him.  
  
"Oh no you don't," Jesse mutters angrily, "you are not gonna harass me again." He presses a button and the Silver Dragon Sword begins to glow with silver energy.  
  
Carving a circle into the air, Jesse then slashes through it three times: once left diagonal, followed by a spin and a horizontal slash, and finally a right diagonal slash. The three slashes leave a mark in the air at the start of the circle cut in the air and cross and one point. Jesse jabs the Silver Dragon Sword through the point where the slashes meet and raises the blade into the air. The newly made disc of energy moves along with it, as if it was a solid object and was being moved due to the sword in its center. Jesse begins to rotate the sword, first slowly, then faster and faster until the blade of the sword was moving so fast it was a blur. The energy from the disc seeps into the blade. Finally, the Silver dragon Zord makes one final diagonal slash at Divorx and the energy is sent flying at his opponent in a sharp wave of edged energy.  
  
The energy slices through Divorx effortlessly. Beneath his helmet, his eyes widen in surprise. He falls to one knee, gasping in pain.  
  
"Good work, Silver Ranger," he says through the haze of pain and the darkness that was beginning to overwhelm him, "but do not think you have won the war. I am still just a flunky. Dark Specter has many warriors far more powerful and more skilled than me. You sheer power has gotten you through this battle, but how long until inexperience and the sheer numbers of your opponents overwhelms you? You will lose, mark my words. You will lose, and on that day your planet is doomed!" Laughing, he falls forward and disintegrates moments after he hits the ground.  
  
Panting at the exertion of the battle, Jesse unclasps the bands on his helmet and removes it. He looks at the scorched mark on the earth that marked where Divorx had fallen. It had been a tough battle, but he had made it. His first real victory. His first defeat of the enemy. His first kill. The realization of the death hits Jesse like a ton of bricks until he realizes that Divorx would have killed or enslaved everyone on Earth if he hadn't been stopped. Sighing in resignation at what he now knows to be an immense battle in the future, Jesse teleports himself and his Zord back to Atlantis.  
  
Sitting on his throne, the Dark Specter witnesses Divorx's destruction.  
  
"So it is true," he mumbles, "the powers of Atlantis are still active and a threat. But there is only one right now. It is possible that the Morphers are scattered and unable to be located. But even one human powered by an Atlantean Morpher is dangerous. Divorx was a good soldier, but he underestimated his opponent. No matter. He was expendable anyway."  
  
The window of magic through which he was watching the battle shows the Silver Atlantean Ranger taking off his helmet. Dark Specter's eyes glow dangerously molten orange at the sight he sees. Once again, a human teenager was in his path of dominance! First, it was Zordon of Eltare's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that so hideously defeated Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd time and time again. Next it was the Zeo Rangers, fueled by the Zeo Crystal who held off the Machine Empire and Rita and Zedd at times. Next it was the Turbo Rangers who held off the Space Pirate Divatox. Finally, it was the Astro Rangers. Dark Specter knew that, while they were not as able as many of the other species throughout the galaxy, humans had a far more unbendable will. Even Rita, one of the most powerful sorceresses of all could not control a single human even with the aid of the Sword of Darkness. And even Zedd, possibly the mightiest practitioner of magic in all of the universe, could not turn a mere handful of them into his minions. And even the Wizard of Deception, whose power was legendary, could not control a simple clone of a human. No, these humans were more trouble than they were worth. Even Scorpius, a being whom even the Dark Specter feared at times, was not able to stand up against a band of six humans. Granted, they wielded the mighty Quasar Sabers, but they were still humans. Many a mighty evil had fallen throughout the universe because they had underestimated these humans. Well, the Dark Specter would not underestimate them. Like the Machine Empire, he would fight a war of attrition. But unlike the Machine Empire, he would attack the whole planet. He didn't care to show up Rita and Zedd. If he attacked Angel Grove, then the former Rangers would somehow regain some form of their powers. One of them still held one of the Turbo Keys. Another carried the Dragon Power Coin. And it was still possible for them to regain the Zeo Crystal and be a major hindrance in his plans. And if one Turbo Key could be found, then the other four could be found and used again as well. No, attacking Angel Grove was simply out of the question. He briefly considered attacking Leewood and destroying the Masked Rider, but decided against it. Dex of Edenoi would be returning home before long to combat his uncle on his home planet. Once that happened, he would attack Leewood. If he attacked the Masked Rider, he would call for help. Either in the form of the Masked Rider Warriors or the Power Rangers, he could summon help. No, attacking a place that had a resident hero would not do.  
  
Dark Specter knew that the town they had already attacked had to be the home of the Silver Atlantean Ranger. And since he now knew that it was a normal teenage human boy, he could make plans to destroy him.  
  
"Darkonda!" the Dark Specter roars. Darkonda hurries into the throne room and bows before his master.  
  
"Contact Voricifa," Dark Specter commands.  
  
"Voricifa, my liege?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"Yes," Dark Specter says, "tell her that I have a job that only she can do."  
  
"Yes, mighty Dark Specter," Darkonda says before leaving.  
  
As he walks out of the throne room, Darkonda's mind is ablaze in thought.  
  
'Voricifa?' Darkonda thinks to himself, 'the Dark Specter hardly ever calls upon her talents. She can turn any mans hearts to her will and make them do anything. I remember one time she had a husband who dearly loved his family slaughter them by tearing them apart piece by piece and eating them. It was wonderfully evil. Normally the Dark Specter prefers to crush his opponents in an overwhelming attack. This Silver Atlantean Ranger must really pose a threat to the Dark Specter's plans if he is planning on using Voricifa to destroy him.'  
  
  
  
Jesse arrives at Atlantis in his Silver Ranger outfit, but he is holding his helmet in the crook of his arm.  
  
"Jesse, man, that was awesome," Alex says, "you destroyed the monster."  
  
"I killed him," Jesse corrects his friend, his voice glum.  
  
"Man, whats wrong?" Alex asks.  
  
"I just KILLED somebody Alex," Jesse yells, "I ended his life. He wasn't a monster, he was an actual living and breathing sentient being. He may have been twisted by evil, but he was alive."  
  
"Yes, he was alive, but you slew him in the defense of others," the Elder says, "and you will no doubt have to do so many more times. However, many of the creatures Dark Specter sends down will be true monsters and not actually living beings."  
  
"There is nothing to be ashamed of in killing someone in the defense of those who cannot defend themselves," Jacolby adds, "you are the only real defense that this planet has. The Time Force Rangers have captured Ransik and gone back to the future, leaving only the Red Ranger and the Quantum Ranger. The Wild Force Rangers have only just found their Red Ranger. They are no match for the Dark Specter, and probably never will be. We never paid much attention to Animaria so we do not know how much power they can achieve. The Red Time Force Ranger has the power of the legendary Battle Fire, but that couldn't even enable him to equal Ransik, much less one of Dark Specter's minions. The Galaxy Rangers are on Mirinoi and would barely be able to handle the Dark Specter for an extended period of time. Four of the Astro Rangers are here on Earth, but they do not have their Morphers. The other two are out among the stars."  
  
"Elder, Divorx said that the Dark Specter had many minions far more powerful than he was," Jesse says, "is this true?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," the Elder says, "you wouldn't even last five minutes alone against the Dark Specter at your current level. Once you gain more experience, you would be able to last against the Dark Specter alone for a little while, but unless we can locate the other Morphers and people worthy to wield their power then you will lose."  
  
"I just hope I can last through the next battle," Jesse mutters, "any idea when the Dark Specter will attack again?"  
  
"We do not know when or where he will attack," Connerly replies, "he will not limit his attacks to one city or town like the previous people to attack Earth. They all wanted to show up Rita Repulsa by taking over the town that she constantly attacked. But the Dark Specter won't care about this. He will attack anywhere on the Earth. He could attack Los Angeles one day and Hong Kong the next and Paris the day after that. The other teams of Power Rangers, even though they were technically protecting the world, they only really defended their home city. Dark Specter was unlucky enough to attack yours first and cause the Silver Morpher to choose its wielder. If he hadn't, then the Earth wouldn't have had a chance. You may even get to work with the other teams of Power Rangers since Dark Specter will probably take out any possible reinforcements you could get. The Time Force Rangers are not magical at all except for the power of the Battle Fire. Same goes for the Lightspeed Rangers. Not a single one of them has any magical power. But they could give you backup and the Dark Specter won't like that. Luckily we can teleport you to any location on Earth, and even as far as the moon. When morphed, you can survive just about anywhere as long as the heat isn't too intense or the gravity isn't more than you can handle."  
  
"So I gotta protect the entire planet?" Jesse asks.  
  
"And then some," Eleanor replies, "we were once allies of Eltare and the rest of those who stand against evil. We were a great threat with the Atlantean Warriors so the Dark Specter took us out first, even if it did cause him to retreat for nearly twelve thousand years. Now, if we receive a distress call from someone else and it involves Dark Specter, then it is your responsibility. Fighting the Dark Specter's elite army is something only the Atlantean Rangers can do."  
  
"So I might be going to other planets?" Jesse asks, apprehensive.  
  
"Other planets?" Connerly says with a bark of laughter, "you'll likely be going to other galaxies! The whole universe is your responsibility, though you will rarely have to take up that level of responsibility."  
  
"I have a feeling I'm gonna hate this," Jesse mutters.  
  
"Do you wish to hand over your Morpher?" the Elder asks, "it is possible that we can find another suitable candidate that will be more willing to take the job."  
  
Jesse sighs. "Its not that. Its just that I don't like having a lot of responsibility. Lucky for me I don't have much of a social life for this to ruin."  
  
Alex grins. "Maybe being a Ranger will mature you enough for you to be able to handle life on your own when the Dark Specter is defeated." Jesse snorts in disbelief.  
  
"Well, we are all very proud of you Jesse," Jacolby says, "you are the Earth's first line of defense against the Dark Specter, though you may as well be the only line of defense seeing as how none of the other heroes of Earth have the power to fight the Dark specter's minions. They would barely hold their own against the Spectrons, and those are only his lowest level of foot soldiers. He has many more, but we are lucky that he is too arrogant to use them."  
  
"Well, Alex and I gotta go," Jesse says, "its almost time for dinner and I'm starving."  
  
"Take care, you two," Jacolby says, "stop by and train whenever possible, even if you can't do it at the same time."  
  
Jesse and Alex thank the Atlanteans and teleport home. Jesse watches the news of the battle between the Silver Atlantean Ranger and Divorx and the Spectrons. He winces as they catch every moment of the fight with the Spectrons. He knew he was gonna have to learn or he would get clobbered. If only they could find even just one more Morpher.  
  
Sighing, Jesse cleans up and eats dinner which consisted of hamburgers and sausage. He had had a long day and he needed to relax. 


	3. Beginnings of Bronze

It is a normal school day for Jesse Plunk, the Silver Atlantean Ranger. Or so it appears. His battle with Divorx is still fresh in his mind. The Dark Specter has not sent down any monsters since the defeat of Divorx, but Jesse knew that the former monarch of evil had not given up.  
  
Everything was normal on Earth. But out in space, things were not normal. The Dark Specter was awaiting the arrival of Voricifa, Mistress of Seduction. It had been centuries since he had called upon her service. Normally he preferred to just flatten his opposition with superior power.  
  
But this was a special case. He could still flatten his opponents with his superior forces, but he didn't want to use up too many of his loyal elite soldiers. This Silver Ranger of Atlantis could eliminate many of his top soldiers before he was finally brought down. That was unacceptable. He had to take care of this problem before it truly became a problem. Divorx had been expendable. True, he had been loyal, but he had also been expendable. Now he couldn't afford to make mistakes. He couldn't risk expending the amount of energy needed to send enough Spectrons to take over the Earth or he would risk being stabbed in the back while he was weak from expending the energy. Darkonda had tried destroying him with a Super Torpedo. He had been weak from using his energy to make himself gigantic. Then again, he had never thought that anyone would dare attack him. He was still invincible as long as he did not expend too much energy.  
  
Darkonda rushes into the throne room. "Dark Specter, Voricifa is here to see you."  
  
Dark Specter smiles, a frightening sight. "Send her in Darkonda, and leave."  
  
"Yes, sire," Darkonda says. He exits the throne room. Moments later a woman so beautiful it had to be magic walks in. It certainly had to be magic considering she was at least 12,000 Earth years old, which was old by any galactic standard.  
  
"Ah, Voricifa, a pleasure to see you," Dark Specter rumbles.  
  
"The pleasure is mine, Dark Specter," Voricifa says with a boy and a too sweet to be real smile, "when the universe heard that you had been destroyed, every being of evil that survived Zordon's wave trembled in fear. Without you as a powerful symbol to lead the forces of Evil into battle, it is no wonder we lost. That traitor Astronema surely is what caused us to be defeated. She allowed the Red Astro Ranger to shatter Zordon's energy tube and release his sickeningly pure energies."  
  
Dark Specter rumbles his agreement. "Yes, Astronema was a disappointment. As was Ecliptor. But that is the past. I have a job for you."  
  
"A job, mighty Dark Specter?" Voricifa asks, intrigued, "one that involves Earth? Perhaps you want me to eliminate the former Ranger's?"  
  
Dark Specter shakes his head. "Maybe some other time. No, right now I want you to watch this."  
  
He makes a motion with his hand and a window appears, showing the first appearance of the Silver Atlantean Ranger.  
  
"You want me to fight a Power Ranger? "Vorfica demands, "I am not a fighter."  
  
"Watch and see," Dark Specter says. He makes another motion with his hand and the image changes to his fight with Divorx in his Zord and his defeating Divorx. And the taking his helmet off.  
  
"I think I understand now, Dark Specter," Voricifa says, "you wish for me to seduce this young Ranger and bring him to you so you can turn him evil."  
  
"NO!" Dark Specter bellows, "Rita and Zed made fools of themselves countless times trying to make themselves an evil Power Ranger. I do want you to seduce him, but I want you to destroy him the moment he is under your power."  
  
"And what about his Morpher?" Voricifa asks.  
  
"Destroy it," Dark Specter says, "better yet, bring it to me so I can destroy it. I haven't destroyed anything Atlantean in millennia. Not since I destroyed Atlantis itself 12,000 years ago and nearly expended all of my power, causing the forces of good to push back and enabling an incompetent like Rita Repulsa to become the self-declared Empress of Evil. Not to mention Lord Zedd crowning himself the Lord of all that is Evil."  
  
"You wish me to bring the Ranger to you so you can destroy him yourself?" Voricifa asks, licking her lips in anticipation of the Dark Specter's answer. If he said yes, then she would be able to hear this young Ranger's screams of pain for years to come, even if in actuality they would last for only a minute or two.  
  
"Yes, that would be most pleasurable," Dark Specter says, seeing Voricifa's anticipation, "now go and hunt him down. Hunt him down and destroy him. Take thirty Spectrons with you to lure him out if you want. Attack that first city we attacked. It is quite likely that is his home. If you cannot capture him to bring him here, don't bother and kill him anyway."  
  
"Yes, my lord," Voricifa says with a bow, then leaves.  
  
"Soon the only hindrance in conquering earth will be gone and I, the dark Specter, shall rule the universe as I was destined to do!" Dark Specter laughs when Voricifa exits completely.  
  
Back on Earth, Jesse was ticked off. Right during the last class, the fire siren goes off. Lucky for him, the teacher had a TV with cable. The teacher, Mrs. Gordon, turned it on to show the news. A group of Spectrons and a monster were attacking uptown Jackson. Jesse's blood ran cold when he saw them attacking the mall.  
  
A few moments later, Jesse's communicator went off. Luckily they had improved over the original models by giving them a function to where they would send a small electric shock to the person wearing it when someone was trying to contact them. Unfortunately, Jesse couldn't respond and the school had abolished the policy of letting students out of class to use the bathroom. Not to mention the fact that there were camera's all over the school and couldn't risk blowing his identity.  
  
So all he could do was watch and wait for them to let school out. He just hoped he could get to a safe place soon enough to morph and take care of the Spectrons and the monster before any innocent civilians got hurt.  
  
'Wait, this is war and there aren't any innocents in war,' a voice in his head says to him, 'after all, people die every day. It is a fact of life that death comes for us all eventually.'  
  
'That's right,' Jesse thinks to himself, seemingly oblivious to the voice, 'people die every day.'  
  
"Oh my," a girl sitting beside him gasps. Jesse looks at the screen. The Spectrons were entering the mall.  
  
"I hope they don't wreck the stores," another girl says. Jesse looks angrily at the girl who said that. Of course. A blonde. It figured.  
  
Jesse checked the clock on his communicator. There was still a half hour of class left.  
  
'I hope I can last until the end of school,' Jesse thinks to himself, 'otherwise I'm gonna blow my cover big time.'  
  
In another part of Jackson, a teenage girl was lying on the couch watching the attack on the news. She was averagely pretty, with long dark blonde hair. She was a bit tall, standing a little over 5' 6". Her features were marred at the moment by a worried brow.  
  
Bethany Black was at home that day recovering from a nasty flu bug. She had been feeling fine that morning but her parents hadn't want her to take a chance on a relapse so they made her stay home that day.  
  
Her brow furrows as a monster at last joins the Spectrons. The monster certainly wasn't anything like the last monster. Whereas the previous monster had been a knight of some sort, this one was a woman. A rather attractive woman with long blue hair. Her skin was unbelievably white. Not quite pure white, more of an off-white. Like white mixed slightly with gray. She had on a bright green dress that seemed to set off the color of her skin and had on silver armbands and a silver tiara. And she is carrying a rather large scythe.  
  
"Man, that is one ugly witch," Bethany mutters to herself, "wish there was something I could do."  
  
A bronze-colored flash of light catches her attention. She glances to her coffee table. Lying on it was a thick disc. Though she didn't know it, it looked almost exactly like Jesse's Silver Morpher of Atlantis.  
  
"What is this?" she mutters. She reaches over and picks it up. "Where did this come from?" A brilliant bronze flash erupts from it and she is teleported away.  
  
"Well, this was most unexpected," the Elder says as he looks over Beth's unconscious form.  
  
"It was most unexpected, by also most fortuitous," Connerly says, "the Silver Ranger isn't answering the summons. He is in class so he can't answer or he'll blow his cover."  
  
"Ugh, what happened?" Bethany groans as she regains consciousness.  
  
"Ah, she is awake," the Elder says, peering into Beth's field of vision.  
  
"If she sees an old man like you, she might doubt whether she is alive or not," Eleanor huffs and pulls the Elder out of Beth's vision. She lends Beth a hand and helps her to her feet.  
  
"There, are you okay dear?" Eleanor asks, her voice soothing and gentle.  
  
"I'm okay," Bethany says, "where am I?"  
  
"I see they all have the same thoughts," the Elder chuckles, "the Silver Ranger same roughly the same thing when he was brought here. Or was that his friend who said it?"  
  
"I believe it was the Silver Ranger who said it," Connerly says, "his friend was silent a lot, though he asked deep questions afterwards."  
  
"He still does," the Elder asks, "that young man has the curiosity like none I have seen in a long, long time."  
  
"The Silver Ranger?" Bethany asks, "you mean the person who has been fighting off the new monster attacks?"  
  
"Ah, I see you know of him," Jacolby says from behind her, "he has been a most adept student at learning the art of fighting from me. His defeat of Divorx proves it."  
  
"Who? What?" Bethany was puzzled by their comments.  
  
"Hush you," Eleanor says, "you're just confusing the poor dear."  
  
"Yes, I tend to forget how easily young girls are confused," the Elder muses, "it has been so long since I've had to try and guess what they were thinking. Even my own daughters have long been grown up and have children of their own. Some even have grandchildren."  
  
"Um, could you please tell me where I am?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Such a polite child," Eleanor says with a smile, "dear, you are on Atlantis, the Lost City. And you hold in your hand the Bronze Morpher of Atlantis."  
  
"What?" Bethany says, then she looks at the disc she had picked up. It was glowing. Bethany nearly drops it in surprise.  
  
"Oh, don't worry dear," Eleanor says, "its not dangerous. At least not to you, anyway."  
  
"But what is it?" Bethany asks, perplexed.  
  
"That, my dear, is the Bronze Morpher of Atlantis," Connerly says, "its power could enable you to fight the evil that is threatening the Earth."  
  
"What?!" Bethany shrieks.  
  
"Yes, it can," the Elder says, "long ago, Atlantis was once a thriving civilization. Still is, I supposed, though we are trapped in Limbo and cannot get out ourselves though we can bring people here and send them back out. Well, an evil being known as the Dark Specter attacked and overcame our defenders. Those were the Atlantean Warriors. Each one held more power than entire teams of Power Rangers. But now, that power is diminished with Atlantis being sealed away in Limbo and the Morphers having been inactive for nearly twelve millennia. And the Green Morpher was destroyed beyond repair by even us. Well, now Dark Specter has returned to finish conquering Earth. But we no longer have the Morphers to bestow upon warriors of Atlantis. Instead, they are out selecting the other peoples of Earth to wield their power. The Silver Morpher has already done so. And it has selected a fine young man. His temperament seems to be perfect for fighting this war against the Dark Specter alone without the aid of the rest of the Atlantean Warriors to back him up."  
  
"So the Silver Ranger is not a Power Ranger, but a Atlantean Warrior?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Yes and no," Connerly replies, "you see, without all seven Morphers functioning, no one can become an Atlantean Warrior if they do not have at least half a measure of Atlantean blood flowing through their veins, so that power is quite likely lost forever. But when the Atlantean Morphers were created, we saw this possibility and created a backup power. This followed the designs of the people of the planet Edenoi, who had the Masked Rider. The Morphers backup was to create a team of warriors, similar to the Atlantean Warriors but without as much power. Now, they are known as Power Ranger's and are highly respected throughout the galaxy as defenders of peace and justice and saving innocent lives from tyrants. The Silver Ranger is exactly that: a Silver Ranger of Atlantis. He has more power at his command than any single Ranger before him and many teams. But he cannot fight alone."  
  
"So, what does this have to do with me?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Well, the Morphers select whom will wield their power," the Elder begins, "only one with the proper personality, temperament, and courage can wield a Morphers power. Another Ranger cannot wield another's powers. There have been very few in all of the history of Atlantis to wield the powers of the Silver Morpher. It is sheer luck that the strongest Morpher of Atlantis found a wielder first. Not only that, that it found a wielder is a stroke of unbelievable luck. Well, it seems that you are a perfect candidate for the Bronze Morpher."  
  
"WHAT?!" Bethany shrieks, "you're kidding!"  
  
"Afraid not, miss," Jacolby says, "you may not actually be right for the Morpher now, but you have the potential and are very close to that potential."  
  
"But I don't know how to fight," Bethany says.  
  
"And you think the Silver Ranger knows how?" Jacolby scoffs, "why, there are people half his age that he knows that can tear him apart in a fight without the Silver Powers. The Power teaches you to fight, though if you accept to assist then you will be trained to fight, by me, without having to rely on the Power. So far, the Silver Ranger's case has proved to be pointless. Without the Power guiding him, he'd be dead."  
  
"No so with his young friend though," Connerly remarks, "he is picking up everything quite well. His fighting and magical talents are both coming along quite well. In fact, he is using the mental disciplines from one of the bolster the other. It is quite remarkable. We are already incorporating such tactics in training other young mages. We've always had a problem with the mages being physically weak and being scorned by the warriors. But if they can hold their own and are not in need of a bodyguard all the time, then that might ease the tension and lessen the number of warriors who need to be treated for various maladies that can only be magical in their creation. I treated one young man the other day who needed to have boils removed form a few very unlikely and highly sensitive places."  
  
"Gentlemen," Eleanor says firmly, "we do have a guest here who needs to know what is going on and how she might fit into all of this."  
  
"Oh yes, sorry about that," Connerly says without hardly even acknowledging Eleanor, "well, are you in to help defend your planet?"  
  
"Do I have a choice?" Bethany asks bitterly.  
  
"Of course!" Connerly says, "if you say no, we'll just take the Bronze Morpher and hope we can find someone else. You're memory will be altered so you won't even know that this exchange ever happened."  
  
Bethany appears to think about it for a moment. "Okay, what do I have to do?"  
  
"Excellent," the Elder says, "all you have to do is let us read the inscription on your Morpher to determine how to activate its powers."  
  
Bethany hands it over to the Elder.  
  
"Ah yes, lets see," the Elder says as he begins to examine the writing, "'If ye be of a caring heart and a noble spirit with a just cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in this sequence: Bronze, Platinum, Crystal, White, Aqua, and Silver. If your cause is found to be worthy, you shall become a mighty Warrior. If you cause not pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion.' Well, that sounds simple enough." He hands the Morpher back to Bethany.  
  
"Cast into oblivion?" Bethany eeps as she takes the Morpher.  
  
"Don't worry dear," Eleanor says, "it wouldn't have appeared to you if you weren't worthy. And your cause is the same as the Silver Ranger's: to defend the Earth against the Dark Specter."  
  
"Well, what do I do?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Try to project your feelings into the Morpher," the Elder says, "what to do will come to you."  
  
Bethany closes her eyes. She thinks about the Morpher and the power it symbolized. The power to protect others who were defenseless against the evil threatening the Earth. No, not just the Earth, but the entire universe was in danger. Suddenly, wisdom begins to course through her very being. She opens her eyes wide, a bronze gleam in them.  
  
"It's Morphin time!: she calls out, then takes the Morpher to her left side of her head. She presses the bronze button, then the platinum one. Then the crystal clear one. Then the white one. Then the aqua one. And finally the silver button.  
  
"Bronze Power of Atlantis!" she calls out. A bronze flash envelopes her. When it fades, she is standing there in a Ranger costume.  
  
  
  
I am deeply sorry about that blonde joke. I do have respect for blondes, but I just couldn't resist. I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for it. Please be gentle with the flames though. A friend of mine who is blonde is sure to read it and will likely try to tear my ears off again.  
  
Clad in mostly what appeared to be bronze spandex, she made an impressive site. She had gold armbands. The boots had golden rings around the top and white gloves. She wore a shield like the Gold Ranger who had helped the Zeo Ranger's, only her shield was bronze instead of gold. Her helmet was bronze and had the basic shape of an eagle.  
  
"Wow, this is incredible," she gasps, looking at her gloves and examining what she could of her suit.  
  
"You are the Bronze Atlantean Ranger," Eleanor says, "you, like the Silver Atlantean Ranger, have a Zord. You have the aid of the mighty Bronze Griffin Zord. The griffin, in case you did not know, is a mighty creature, with the body of a lion and the head, wings, and usually the front claws of a great eagle."  
  
"Um, what about a weapon?" Bethany says from within her helmet.  
  
"Focus on your weapon and you will summon it," Eleanor says. Bethany does so. Instantly, the Bronze Staff is in her hands. On one end, the Staff had three points. At a closer inspection, she could see that two of the points were triple-layered for some reason. The Power immediately told her that this would help her form her true weapon, the Bronze Battle Axe. The third point was lightly jeweled, but distinguished.  
  
"Bronze Battle Axe!" she calls out, lifting the Bronze Staff above her head. Immediately, the Bronze Staff begins to glow. The side points flash and split. The outer blades snap up and form a blade. Once they formed a single axe blade on each side, the blades enlarge to a respectable size.  
  
"Wow," Bethany breathes, "this is cool. But its way too bulky for me to use."  
  
"Give it a few tries," Eleanor smiles. Bethany does so and gasps. The weapon was incredibly light! It was as if it was made for her.  
  
"I think its time for you to go and face the attackers until the Silver ranger arrives," the Elder says, "may your Power guide you to victory."  
  
"Right," Bethany says and teleports out.  
  
"'May the Power guide you to victory'?" Eleanor asks after Bethany teleports out.  
  
The Elder shrugs. "Well, to me it sounds a whole lot better than 'May the Power protect you'."  
  
"Zordon of Eltare was a wiser man than you'll ever be," Eleanor says.  
  
"I'm not arguing with you there," the Elder says, "now I just hope that our new Bronze Ranger can handle herself." Eleanor, Connerly, and Jacolby nod in agreement.  
  
"Go, Spectrons, destroy everything!" Hibikime commands.  
  
"Not so fast!" a voice calls out from behind. Hibikime and the Spectrons turn to see who spoke. It was Bethany.  
  
"You're attacking a place of commerce, meant to bring people together," the Bronze Atlantean Ranger says, "now, either leave quietly or be destroyed!"  
  
"You are not whom we are looking for, but we will gladly destroy you," Hikime says, lowering her scythe in Bronze Ranger's direction.  
  
"Bronze Battle Axe!" Bronze Ranger calls out, summoning her weapon. The glistening bronze-hued double-bladed battle-axe appears in her hands.  
  
"Let's rumble," Bronze Ranger says, crouching into a defensive stance just before the Spectrons rush her.  
  
Back at the school, Jesse's eyes widen in shock at the appearance of the Bronze Ranger.  
  
"Hey, it looks like there's another one," another one of the students says, "that's a wicked weapon they've got. What is it?"  
  
"It's a battle-axe," Jesse replies, his eyes never leaving the screen, "it's a formidable weapon. It is best used in wide slashing arcs. It takes a fairly strong person to use one properly."  
  
"Think this new person has a chance?" another student asks.  
  
"They had better," Jesse says, "its not like this is a game, now is it?"  
  
As he watched the Bronze Ranger make a good account of themselves against the Spectrons, he wishes he was there helping out.  
  
Bethany, at that same moment, was wishing that the Silver Ranger, whomever they were, was there helping her. The Spectrons weren't exactly tough, not with the Power guiding her, but she couldn't help but feel scared. If it wasn't for the feeling of pure strength flowing through her, she felt that she would be scared motionless.  
  
As it was, she was tearing into the Spectrons. She drops down to her knees and sweeps a Spectron off its feet. She flips forward and kicks it in the chest when it hits the ground. She then backflips and back kicks another Spectron in the gut. She spins and slashes it with her Battle Axe. She leaps out of the way of a small flurry of lasers from a pair of Spectrons. She rushes them and cleaves through both laser-wielding Spectrons with a single stroke of the Bronze Battle Axe.  
  
"Very impressive," Hibikime claps, "what do they call you?"  
  
Bronze Ranger turns to face Hibikime. "You may call me Bronze Ranger. Now leave or suffer the same fate as these things."  
  
"Ha!" Hibikime laughs, "I am far more powerful than a troupe of mere Spectrons. Now you face me, little girl." She leaps at Bronze Ranger and swings her scythe, who blocks it with her Bronze Battle Axe.  
  
Bronze Ranger jumps back and prepares for another attack.  
  
"Most impressive indeed," Hibikime grins sinisterly, "but you cannot hope to match me. I am Voricifa's prize warrior!"  
  
"Who?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"That is above your concerns though, seeing as how I shall destroy you!" Hibikime yells and attacks. She launches an ear-splitting shriek that brings the Bronze Ranger to her knees.  
  
Back at the school, Jesse winces as the cameras are able to pick up the sound Hibikime emits. This was not looking good. Jesse felt that he was about to go insane if he couldn't go and help soon.  
  
His thoughts are interrupted by the last bell of the day going off. Gathering his books quicker than he ever had before, Jesse practically runs out of the school and to a secluded spot not far from the school. Not long after he had received the Silver Morpher, he had scouted the school and all of the other places he hung out to find places where he could Morph or teleport away from or to.  
  
Checking to see if the coast was clear, Jesse pulls out his Morpher. "It's Morphin time!" he calls out and enters the sequence, "Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
With a flash of silver, Jesse teleports to the battle.  
  
Hibikime was tearing into Bronze Ranger with relative ease. Her speed and experience well overcame any small advantages the Bronze Ranger had. Slashing through the shield with her scythe, Hibikime laughs again.  
  
"My my my," Hibikime chuckles, "you certainly aren't in the same league as the Silver Ranger. And if you re, then he must be pathetic."  
  
"Hi-yah!" The Silver Ranger leaps at Hibikime from behind. She turns around just in time to be slashed in the chest by the Silver Saber.  
  
"Take that," Silver Ranger growls. He turns to look at the bronze Ranger. She was struggling to get up. Silver Ranger runs over to help her up.  
  
"You okay?" he asks.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," a definitely feminine voice says, "just give me a moment to catch my breath. This is tougher than I thought it would be."  
  
Silver Ranger gapes at Bronze Ranger. "You're a girl?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Bronze Ranger replies, amused, "anything wrong with that?"  
  
"No, I'm just surprised," Silver Ranger replies, "a battle axe is a rather cumbersome weapon. Too cumbersome for a female to wield as necessary in battle."  
  
"Well, this battle axe is made specifically for me," Bronze Ranger retorts, brandishing the Bronze Battle Axe at the Silver Ranger.  
  
Silver Ranger takes a step back. "Yikes, I didn't mean anything insulting by it, its just that I'm surprised. You are not what I expected for my first ally."  
  
"And what did you expect?" Bronze Ranger demands.  
  
"Hopefully someone who had prior experience," Silver Ranger replies, "or at least knew what they were doing."  
  
"Oh really?" Bronze Ranger replies hotly, "and you've what? Fought two battles before this?"  
  
"I mean no disrespect," Silver Ranger replies, "its just that I have been unable to get here to fight due to those blasted school rules."  
  
"You're still in school?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"My last year," Silver Ranger replies, "watch out!" He grabs Bronze Ranger and hits the dirt, dragging her down with him. An energy ball soars over them. If they hadn't ducked, then it would have hit them both.  
  
Silver Ranger gets back to his feet and helps Bronze Ranger to her feet. "I think we had best wait until this battle is over before we continue this discussion."  
  
"Good idea," Bronze Ranger says, "lets get this witch." With that, she leaps at Hibikime, swinging her battle-axe. Silver Ranger follows suit, stabbing with the Silver Saber.  
  
Hibikime swings her scythe and knocks the Bronze Ranger out of the way, then spins around and kicks the Silver Ranger in the gut.  
  
"Man, this girl is tough," Silver Ranger mutters. He looks over at Bronze Ranger. She was struggling to get up.  
  
"You sure you're an Atlantean Ranger?" he asks.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," Bronze Ranger retorts.  
  
"Then open yourself up to the knowledge within the power that fuels you," Silver Ranger says, "I'm sure you have more skill at your disposal than this."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Just look within yourself and you'll feel a wellspring of knowledge opening up," Silver Ranger explains, "the Power that guides the Atlantean Ranger's will help you fight this enemy."  
  
"Okay, I'll try," Bronze Ranger says. She goes still for a moment. Her breathing slows. She delves deep into the recesses of her mind. With her minds eye, she sees a bronze light. It feels warm and inviting. She feels a rush of knowledge. Suddenly, she knows exactly what to do.  
  
"Silver Ranger, you wouldn't happen to know how to throw an energy bolt of some sort, do you?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"I can," Silver Ranger says, "though I need practice."  
  
"Think you can destroy her in one blast?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"No, but I can hurt her enough so that a second, third, or fourth blast can destroy her," Silver Ranger replies, "only it'll take me a while to form these attacks after the second or third one if I don't get some rest after the first. If I can absorb one of her energy attacks, I'll be able to do more damage."  
  
"I'll ask about that later," Bronze Ranger says, "just prepare the attacks. I'll keep her busy."  
  
With that, Bronze Ranger leaps at Hibikime and begins grappling with her for control of her scythe.  
  
Silver Ranger takes the Silver Saber and begins charging it as best he can. He swings the sword in an arc from his lower right to his lower left to his upper left to his upper right. He then twists his wrist so that the point of the blade creates a full circle. A faint trickle of silver sparkles trails behind the blade.  
  
"Silver Shot!" Silver Ranger calls out, slashing at Hibikime. Bronze Ranger leaps out of the attacks way just before it hits Hibikime. The attacks knocks Hibikime back several yards.  
  
"Nice shot!" Bronze Ranger cries out.  
  
"Thanks, but its not over yet," Silver Ranger says, "that attack could tear Spectrons and other low level thugs apart, but Hibikime is just too strong. She's a high ranking warrior by my guess."  
  
"How right you are," Hibikime says as she rises from where she landed, "you're gonna pay for that. It hurt a lot." With that, she sends a stream of crackling lightning at Silver Ranger from her left hand.  
  
Silver Ranger performs the same motions as before, this time forming a shield with the energy. As soon as Hibikime's attack hits, it begins absorbing the energy. Hibikime sees this.  
  
"So, you are planning on absorbing my attack," she chuckles mirthlessly, "well, lets see just how much you can absorb." With that, she increases the power of the blast.  
  
Seeing that the Silver Ranger was in trouble, Bronze Ranger attacks Hibikime, bringing the Bronze Battle Axe down on Hibikime's left hand. But Hibikime blocks by moving her scythe in the way. The blades clash sending sparks flying.  
  
"You shall not interfere," Hibikime says forcefully. She puts more strength behind her scythe and shoves Bronze Ranger back and knocking her into the air and into a wall.  
  
'Can't hold on much longer,' Silver Ranger thinks, 'she was right in that I cannot handle much energy. At least not yet. But there's nothing else I can do.'  
  
Back at Atlantis, Alex had teleported in as soon as he was able to. He was watching the fight on the Pool of Viewing.  
  
"I'm glad Jesse has some back up now, but I do wish they were a bit more competent," Alex remarks dryly.  
  
"This is her first day on the job," Connerly replies, "she did no better than Jesse did in his first battle. It's just that the opponent they are up against is far stronger than Divorx. But unfortunately she isn't a monster. She is an alien, like Divorx."  
  
"Jesse won't like that," Alex says, "he won't like killing a living thing, particularly since it is a female."  
  
"I wonder what his reaction will be to the Bronze Ranger being female?" Eleanor muses.  
  
"Bronze Ranger is female?" Alex chuckles, "Jesse definitely won't like that if she is around our age. He'll go ballistic at first, then he'll likely insult her if she seems the least bit not like a lady in his opinion. Finally he'll just stay away from her."  
  
"He wouldn't actually do that, would he?" the Elder asks.  
  
"Actually, unless those helmets really distort the voice, he already knows she is female," Alex replies, "it probably won't sink in until after the battle."  
  
"And when that happens?" Jacolby asks, amused.  
  
"Just wait and see," Alex says with a grin, "oh, and if you have any popcorn, you might wanna keep some on hand to eat during their future arguments. That is, if she has any backbone."  
  
"Pardon me?" Eleanor asks, not quite catching what he meant.  
  
"If she is strong-willed," Alex apologizes, "I forget that you're not familiar with a lot of the slang we use."  
  
"We're getting used to it," Connerly replies with a small smile.  
  
Alex takes a look in the Pool and blinks. "How did he manage that?"  
  
Silver Ranger manages to teleport out of the way of the blast just before the shield was overcome by Hibikime's blast.  
  
"Very impressive," Hibikime says sinisterly, "you are indeed a worthy opponent."  
  
"It's these Silver Powers," Silver Ranger replies, "without them, I would be long dead."  
  
"Indeed," a sultry voice says from behind him. Before Silver Ranger could turn to see who was talking, a blast hit him from behind and knocks him out.  
  
Jesse wakes up unmorphed in a small cabin. He sits up, immediately clutching his head in pain. A cool hand takes his hand and moves it and a cool damp cloth is placed against is forehead.  
  
"Easy now, you're still recovering from the attack," a soft, sultry voice says. The voice sounds familiar, but Jesse couldn't place it due to the throbbing of his forehead.  
  
"Whe-where am I?" Jesse asks, careful to keep his voice low.  
  
"You are safe, that is all you need to know," the voice says. Jesse carefully turns his head to look at its owner. What he sees startles him.  
  
Before him sat a woman of almost unearthly beauty. She had ivory colored skin, full red lips, and night-black hair. Her eyes were an unearthly shade of green. And she was quite voluptuous. She was wearing a black dress. In short, she was a vision of pure beauty.  
  
"H-hello," Jesse stammers. He had not expected to see someone so lovely.  
  
"Hello yourself," the woman says huskily. The moment he heard how her voice sounded, Jesse's eyes narrow. He didn't like the sound of it.  
  
"Is something wrong?" the lady purrs.  
  
"No," Jesse lies, "nothing is wrong. Tell me, do you have a name?"  
  
"I am called Voricifa," the lady says, "tell me, just who exactly are you?"  
  
"That is of no importance," Jesse mumbles, "tell me, what happened?"  
  
"I found you by the side of the road," Voricifa says, "you were injured. I tended to your wounds."  
  
"I thank you," Jesse says, "tell me, how was I injured?"  
  
"I do not know," Voricifa says.  
  
Upon hearing this, Jesse's eyes narrow. Something about this woman just wasn't right.  
  
"Who are you?" he whispers hoarsely.  
  
"I am Voricifa," she replies, obviously surprised. 'What is going on?' she thinks furiously to herself, 'how is he resisting my charms. I shall have to try my strongest spells on him.'  
  
Voricifa picks up a small mug of some kind of blue liquid and offers it to Jesse. "Drink this. It will help you."  
  
"Sorry, but I never drink anything blue unless I know whats in it and more importantly made it myself," Jesse replies.  
  
"It will help with any soreness you have," Vorifica says.  
  
Jesse's eyes narrow further, but Voricifa doesn't notice this. 'Now I know something is up,' Jesse thinks, 'there's not a mark on me except a few small burns that I can feel on my back. I must have been blasted from behind and some of the blast made it through the armor."  
  
"No thank you," Jesse says, "I am not feeling sore. A little tired, but not sore at all."  
  
'Damn, how can he resist?' Voricifa thinks angrily, 'its just not possible for a human teenager to resist me.'  
  
"Tell me a bit about yourself," Voricifa asks.  
  
"There's not much to know," Jesse replies bluntly.  
  
"Have a girlfriend or a sweetheart?" Voricifa inquires.  
  
"Nope," was Jesse's short reply.  
  
'How can this be?' Voricifa demands to herself, 'no girlfriend or anything to tie his heart and he obviously isn't gay or anything like that. So whats wrong? Am I losing my touch?'  
  
"Are you sure?" she asks.  
  
"Yep," Jesse replies, "don't have a girlfriend."  
  
"Anyone you have a crush on?" Voricifa asks. 'Maybe he has his heart set on someone and just hasn't admitted it to her or something,' Voricifa thinks.  
  
"Nah," Jesse says, getting up and walking to the door, "I must go. There are things I must do."  
  
"Please don't go," Voricifa pleads, "I get lonely and its nice to have a man around."  
  
Jesse pauses for a moment. He was sweating profusely. He was definitely nervous. Voricifa's remark had caught him off guard.  
  
"I. I'm sorry," Jesse says, "but I must go." With that, Jesse runs out of the cabin and quickly draws out his Morpher.  
  
"It's morphin time! Silver Power of Atlantis!" Jesse teleports to Atlantis to check on the situation.  
  
When he arrives on Atlantis, Jesse startles everyone.  
  
"Jesse, what happened?" Alex demands, "where did you go?"  
  
"Wish I could tell you buddy," Jesse replies dryly, "but frankly, I have no idea. When I woke up, I ran out, Morphed, and teleported here. How long have I been gone?"  
  
"Ten minutes," the Elder replies.  
  
"How is Bronze Ranger doing?"  
  
"Could be better, could be worse," Connerly replies, "her technique is far from refined, but the Bronze Atlantean Power is guiding her quite well."  
  
"That's good," Jesse says, "I'll go and give her assistance."  
  
Alex nods. "Right. Good luck."  
  
"May the Power protect you," the Elder says.  
  
Jesse nods his head in acknowledgement. He teleports back to the battle.  
  
Bronze Ranger was having trouble fighting Hibikime. She was quite strong. Maybe too strong for Bronze Ranger to defeat on her own. Hibikime knocks her to the ground and prepares to strike her dead.  
  
Bronze Ranger closes her eyes and awaits her end.  
  
But it is not to be. Hibikime arches her back in pain and slowly turns around. Bronze ranger could see a vicious cut in her back. She peers around Hibikime to see the Silver Ranger, holding his now-bloody Silver Saber at the ready to strike.  
  
"About time you showed back up," Bronze Ranger snaps, rolling to her side and into a crouch.  
  
"Sorry about that," Silver Ranger says, "had a bit of a situation."  
  
"No kidding," Bronze Ranger says sarcastically, grabbing her Bronze Battle Axe.  
  
"Um, any ideas?" Silver Ranger asks, "right now I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I can't concentrate enough to use any of my energy attacks."  
  
"Don't worry, just distract her for a little while," Bronze Ranger says. You could tell she was grinning inside her helmet. "I have an idea."  
  
"Great, a female with an idea," Silver Ranger mutters, "just what I don't need."  
  
Nevertheless, he attacks Hibikime viciously. Slashing and parrying, he soon puts her on the defensive.  
  
But he was far from winning the fight. Hibikime soon counters with a vicious slash across his chest with her scythe and then follows it up with a kick to the groin. As he doubles over in pain, he catches a glimpse of a flash of metal streaking for his face.  
  
However, the scythe never hit. Instead. A wave of bronze-hued energy smashes into Hibikime and sends her flying out the ruined mall doors and into the parking lot.  
  
"Nice shot," Silver Ranger tells Bronze Ranger, "now lets go out and finish this piece of trash."  
  
"You got it," Bronze Ranger says. The two Atlantean Rangers rush out of the mall and double team Hibikime with a flying kick each.  
  
Hibikime crashes into a light pole, bending it over and sending sparks flying everywhere.  
  
"Glad you took care of the Spectrons," Silver Ranger mutters to Bronze Ranger as Hibikime gets back up, "because I do not think we can face an enemy like this while dealing with Spectrons as well."  
  
"If you say so," Bronze Ranger says as she grips her Battle Axe, "you know, I have yet to ask you your name."  
  
"Wait till this battle is over," Silver Ranger replies as Hibikime gets back up, "we'll go back to Atlantis and talk."  
  
"Very well," Bronze Ranger says as she blocks a sudden strike from Hibikime. She steps back and swings her Battle Axe at Hibikime, who blocks it with the blade of her scythe.  
  
Silver Ranger leaps into the battle, kicking Hibikime in the ribs and following it up with a slash across her chest. Bronze Ranger takes the moments distraction to slam the flat of her Battle Axe. Hibikime crumples to the ground.  
  
"Well, that was certainly easy," Bronze Ranger remarks with interest.  
  
"Trust me, she'll be back up in a moment," Silver Ranger says, "she's much tougher than Divorx. Dark Specter certainly outdid himself sending her down. She's powerful, and fast."  
  
"Don't you have any qualms about hitting a lady?" Bronze Ranger asks snidely.  
  
"Hitting a lady, yes," Silver Ranger replies, "but this woman is no lady by my judgment. At best she is just a female and that is not enough to protect her from me."  
  
"How noble," Bronze Ranger says wryly.  
  
"I try to be," Silver Ranger replies mockingly. He levels his Silver Saber at the fallen form of Hibikime, who was no longer fallen. Indeed, now she was getting up to her feet.  
  
"You are going down," Silver Ranger says calmly.  
  
"Yeah right," Hibkime snarls, her face twisting in an ugly mask of pure hatred and loathing, "you children don't stand a chance against the likes of me."  
  
'Hibikime,' Vorifica says telepathically to Hibkime, 'retreat for now. It looks like I may actually need your help seducing the Silver Ranger.'  
  
'Yes, mistress,' Hibikime replies telepathically. She drops out of her fighting stance. "Another time, Rangers." She disappears in a flash of yellow-black light.  
  
"Well, that was unexpected," Silver Ranger says, willing his Silver Saber back into its place as Bronze Ranger takes a moment to gather her wits.  
  
"Indeed," Bronze ranger says, putting away her axe, "shall we go back to Atlantis? I'm curious to see the face behind your helmet."  
  
Silver Ranger chuckles. "You're gonna be disappointed if your hoping for a handsome face. I've seen car wrecks that look better than I do."  
  
This startles a bark of laughter from the Bronze Ranger. Silver Ranger joins her in laughing for a moment, then turns serious again.  
  
"Lets go back," he says, then teleports out with a flash of silver light. Bronze Ranger follows him with a flash of bronze light.  
  
Back at Atlantis, the two Rangers are greeted by the Elder, Eleanor, Connerly, Jacolby, and Alex.  
  
"Well done Rangers," the Elder says, "you are certainly a formidable team even though you only met each other today. And you took to the Bronze Ranger powers extremely well, Bronze Ranger."  
  
From her body language, there was a good chance that Bronze Ranger was blushing. Then she sees Alex.  
  
"Hey, you look familiar," she says, peering at Alex, "have we met before?"  
  
"Maybe," Alex replies, "until I see your face, I won't know for certain though."  
  
"Indeed," the Elder says, "would you please remove your helmet and show our friends what you look like?"  
  
"Sure," Bronze Ranger replies, her hands unfastening the clasps on her helmet. She slowly pulls it off, revealing her face to the others. Alex stares at her in surprise.  
  
"I recognize you," he says softly, "Bethany Black, right?"  
  
"Yes, now please tell me who you are," Bethany says.  
  
"I'm Alex Green," Alex replies.  
  
"Hey, I do know you," Bethany says, surprised, "my friend Holly says you're a pretty smart guy with a talent for drawing."  
  
"So you know her dude?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Yep," Alex replies, "she's in the same grade I'm in."  
  
"So she's around 16 or 17?" Silver Ranger asks, "wasn't that about the age that the original Rangers were, Elder?"  
  
"Indeed they were," the Elder replies, "but three of them were properly suited for the fight against evil, and the other two had their hearts in the right place."  
  
"How do you know so much about the original Power Rangers of Angel Grove?" Bethany asks.  
  
"We can view anywhere on Earth here," Connerly explains, "we located the power signatures of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when they returned to their home. We eventually penetrated the fields protecting their Command Center and learned the rest about them and were able to keep an eye on everything that happened to them thereafter."  
  
"How long did it take you?" Silver Ranger asks, smugness in his voice.  
  
"We got through before the Green ranger appeared," Connerly replies simply, "though it pained us to watch all that he did and be unable to do anything about it."  
  
"Um, mind taking that helmet off?" Bethany asks the Silver Ranger, "I do want to see what you look like."  
  
Silver Ranger ponders the idea for a moment, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but I will not. I do not think it is time for me to reveal myself to anyone who has yet to truly prove themselves."  
  
"What about Alex" Bethany demands.  
  
"He was brought by accident when I was first summoned to Atlantis, but he was entrusted with a lot of potential," Silver Ranger explains, "he is currently in training to become a wizard of Atlantis. He may be able to eventually use his magic to help us in battle. Hopefully, one of the other Morphers will find him acceptable to wield their power. Now, I must go. I've got a term paper to finish and only three days left to finish it. Glad I'm a damn good typer."  
  
With that, Silver Ranger teleports home.  
  
"Sorry about Silver Ranger," Alex says, haltingly saying the battle name, "he's a bit anti-social. He doesn't let people in on his secrets easily. Apparently this even goes as far as a secret that they will be sharing as well."  
  
"That's right," the Elder says, "you must never reveal your identity if it is avoidable. You must also never use your powers for evil or for your own personal gain. Do so, and the powers will immediately leave you. This is true for all magic based Ranger powers. The Morphin Rangers, the Zeo Rangers, the Turbo Rangers, and the Astro Rangers all went by those rules and they serve us as well in this day and age. I'm not sure about the other Ranger teams. The Time Force Rangers of Silver Hills cannot reveal their identities because they are from the future and cannot risk changing the timeline more than they already have. The Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers were sworn to secrecy because of how advanced the technology they had. Well, advanced for the rest of Earth anyway. The Wild Force Rangers, well, their reason for keeping their identities secret are still a mystery to us."  
  
"Are there any more rules?" Bethany asks.  
  
The Elder continues. "Yes. You must only use your powers to defend, and never to attack. This only applies for the rest of the Earth. If something actually threatened Atlantis, you would be allowed to take the fight to the enemy."  
  
"What is the reason for this?" Bethany asks.  
  
Eleanor answers her. "The Atlantean Rangers are the defenders of Atlantis. They are to defend Atlantis however they can. This includes taking the fight to an enemy that is attacking. However, since Atlantis is in Limbo, you are stuck with defending."  
  
"Man, I'd really like to hear this whole story sometime," Bethany says.  
  
"Oh, you will," Jacolby says with an evil grin, "because tomorrow after school you are to come here and practice so you can get a feel for your powers."  
  
"What?!" Bethany exclaims.  
  
"Dark Specter could attack at any time," Jacolby says sternly, "you must learn how to use the Bronze Morpher much better than you currently can. You must learn how to harness the fighting abilities when you are unmorphed."  
  
"Here, take this," Alex says, handing Bethany a bronze wristband.  
  
Bethany puts it on. "What is this?"  
  
"It's a communicator," Alex replies, "with it you can contact me, Silver Ranger, though it is highly unlikely that he will answer you unless there is a monster attack, or you can reach the council of Atlantis. You can also use it to teleport yourself and those touching you here to Atlantis."  
  
"Eventually you will be able to do this on your own," Connerly says, "you will also take up some minor magical instruction. How much will depend on your control over the metaphysical energies that make up the universe. Alex here is extremely gifted for a non pure-blooded Atlantean. We're not sure how much Atlantean blood flows through his veins, but it is enough for him to learn anything he wants to of our society if it requires Atlantean blood."  
  
"I have to learn magic?" Bethany asks, surprised.  
  
"Yep," Alex says. He summons a small green ball of light that was about five inches in diameter, "this sphere of energy represents my current reserve of magical energy. It shows that I have quite a bit of power, even though I've only been training for a couple of weeks."  
  
"Should I be impressed?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Not really," Connerly says. He summons a huge ball of blue-green light. It was as big as he was tall.  
  
"Is that your representation of power?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Indeed it is," Connerly says, a smug look on his face.  
  
Bethany looks at Alex, chuckling. "Looks like your quite far from his level of power."  
  
"I know that," Alex replies, "after all, he's had many decades of practice. I've only had a week or two."  
  
"Well, I gotta go," Bethany says, "its about time for my mom to get home."  
  
"Bethany, take this," Connerly says, handing her a bronze-banded wristwatch.  
  
"What is this?" she asks curiously.  
  
"It is a communicator and teleport focus," Connerly replies, "they were originally developed by the Blue Morphin Ranger. These are slightly more advanced models than what he built. You can contact us or the Silver Ranger or Alex here. The multi-colored button will contact everyone whose frequency is on the communicator. The black and bronze button is the teleporter. Press the all-call button and the teleport and you will teleport here. Press an appropriately colored button and you will teleport to the location of the person whose communicator you are teleporting to. Silver Ranger's is, of course, silver. Alex's is the blue button. That will change if we can find a Morpher that will accept him as the avatar of its power."  
  
"Why can't I give you my Morpher, Alex?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Because it would have come to me if you weren't more worthy of it," Alex replies, "don't worry. I can still take care of myself, with or without Ranger powers."  
  
"Well, I think you had better get home," the Elder says, "go now." With a wave of his hand, he teleports Bethany home.  
  
"So, what do you think of our bronze Ranger?" Connerly asks Jacolby.  
  
"Its too soon to tell, but the Morpher wouldn't have selected her if she wasn't worthy of it," Jacolby replies, "but Jesse's reaction surprised me."  
  
"His reaction was two-fold built," Alex says, "he doesn't like females, and his first teammate is a female. It's gonna be interesting seeing how future battles go."  
  
"Indeed," Eleanor says. She quirks a smile. "Alex, shouldn't you be heading home? Your sister should be getting home soon. She'll be curious as to why you aren't home."  
  
"Right," Alex says and teleports out.  
  
~Three hours later~  
  
"So, Katie still doesn't know?" Jesse asks Alex.  
  
"She thinks I decided to walk home since it was such a beautiful day," Alex replies, "so, whats the Bronze Ranger like in combat?"  
  
"She definitely has talent," Jesse replies, "but we won't know for certain until she gets some training. As is, she isn't even as good as I was when I first started since she has no natural proficiency for combat."  
  
"And that's a bad thing?" Alex chuckles.  
  
"No, because she can survive better outside of the battlefield than I ever will," Jesse replies, "the Elders have shown us quite a bit about how the Astro Rangers are away from the battlefield."  
  
"Don't you think its curious that the only Rangers they show us outside of the battlefield are the Astro Rangers?" Alex asks.  
  
"Actually, it makes since," Jesse says, "the Astro Rangers are the only Rangers who have revealed their identities to the rest of the world. The previous Rangers have yet to do so, and likely for good reason. The Astro Rangers are constantly ducking the media."  
  
"Jesse, at the rate that the Morphers are appearing, you may have your full team in a month," Alex says.  
  
"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it," Jesse says, "there's no telling where the other Morphers are. And so far, Dark Specter has only attacked Jackson. The Council of Atlantis says that he will attack the entire planet at some point or another. Can just two lone Rangers fight such odds? No. We will have to draw on your help."  
  
"But what am I to do?" Alex asks, "I have yet to learn any useful attack spells and my magical reserves are not very high."  
  
"Maybe so, but you never know what will happen," Jesse says.  
  
"Well man, time to go to MYF," Alex says.  
  
"See ya later bud," Jesse says as he walks off to change into some clean clothes.  
  
  
  
Well, how was that? Oh, MYF stands for Methodist Youth Fellowship. It's a church youth group that I go to quite often. 


	4. Bronze and Platinum Strategems

Bethany Black is having a tough time. Three days ago, she became the Bronze Atlantean Power Ranger. Her only true teammate, the Silver Atlantean Power Ranger, wouldn't even appear around her unmorphed so she had no idea what his real identity was. Because of this, she had to Morph to keep up with him in physical ability and learning the use of her various powers.  
  
She became quite proficient with her Bronze Battle Axe, a large double- bladed war axe that was quite handy in battle once she learned how to use it better. Jacolby, the martial arts instructor for the Atlantean Rangers, had given her a battle axe much like her Ranger weapon for her to practice with unmorphed. The Silver Ranger, he said, practiced with a sword almost constantly since he couldn't seem to manage to learn any of the Atlantean forms of self-defense. Even his occasional lesson in magic proved to be useless.  
  
Alex, however, proved to be far different. His skill and ability in magic grew by leaps and bounds. He wasn't an Atlantean Ranger yet. The "yet" was hopeful. It was possible that none of the Atlantean Morphers would come to him.  
  
Bethany brushes a reddish-blonde lock of hair away from her eyes. Currently, she was training herself against a pack of magical automatons set to perform at the same level as Spectrons. The weapons they held would deliver a shock and would leave a residue of pain that, if it would draw blood with a real weapon, would weaken her as if she was reacting to blood loss.  
  
And she hated it. Fighting a single Spectron unmorphed was hard; fighting a dozen unmorphed was among the things she considered suicidal.  
  
"Hi-yah!" Bethany blocks a downward chop from a sword with the haft of her battle axe, then positions her foot into the "Spectrons" solar plexus and flips it over her. Rolling back to her feet, she manages to move her battle axe just in time to block a sword stroke from another "Spectron". Backflipping, she lands a foot in the "Spectrons" chin that sends it flying.  
  
"Wow, this is tough when I'm not morphed," she muses as she launches herself into a fury of slashes and chops mixed with some kicks and a punch or two. She sends the "Spectrons" sprawling.  
  
"Yes, it is tough unmorphed," Silver Ranger says from the position he is, watching her work out. Jacolby and Alex were watching as well. "You lucky Dark Specter doesn't know your identity just yet. He's keeping himself too far away from the Earth to perfectly scan for all sources of teleportation. And what he can scan, he knows that there are a few other teams of Rangers left on Earth with the power to teleport. He might know my identity. He definitely knows my hometown. That's why he attacked Jackson again. I'm sure of it."  
  
"So you live in Jackson?" Bethany asks as she struggles with a "Spectron" over ownership of her axe, "where do you live?"  
  
"Can't tell ya till I decide to give away the rest of my identity," Silver Ranger replies, "and that won't be until you prove yourself to be a worthy ally. The Bronze Morpher may have decided that you are worthy to wield its power, but I have yet to decide if I want you as a teammate."  
  
'I wonder how much of that statement spawns from his dislike of girls?' Alex thinks to himself, 'if it isn't, then it may be a long time before he lets any of the other future Atlantean Rangers learn of his identity.'  
  
"Man, you're a stuck-up prig, aren't you?" Bethany asks as she sends the "Spectron" she was grappling with flying.  
  
"Very good," Jacolby applauds, "you're learning how to summon the innate fighting abilities of the Bronze Atlantean Ranger quite nicely Bethany. A little more training and you'll have mastered as much as the Silver Ranger here."  
  
Silver Ranger snorts at the comment and looks squarely at Bethany, though she couldn't be sure since his helmet hid his face completely.  
  
"Morph and show me exactly what you got," he orders, "your opponent is me."  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Jacolby says, "watch it now. You two could seriously hurt each other if you fight morphed. Silver Ranger, demorph and fight here that way."  
  
"Come up with an outfit that will hide my identity as much as my Ranger armor and I will," replies Silver Ranger.  
  
"Other than a suit of armor, there is no way for us to do that," Jacolby replies.  
  
"Actually, it depends on how much you want to keep your identity secret from Beth," Alex says, "would you settle for a ninja outfit, with only your eyes able to be seen?"  
  
"Now, I'm sure you can come up with something to cover my eyes," Silver Ranger drawls.  
  
"Your serious about this, aren't you?" Alex asks, surprised.  
  
"Dang right," Silver Ranger replies, "anything that could give her a clue to my identity must not be seen. And my eyes would be a dead giveaway."  
  
"He's got a point there," Jacolby muses, "with the enhancements to her senses that holding the Atlantean Power gives her, Bronze Ranger could find out easily who he really is if she ever looks into his eyes when not morphed."  
  
"Though the chances of that are slim," Silver Ranger says, "since we've never met outside of this. Believe me, I'm sure of it."  
  
"And with only a few weeks of school left, the chances are slimmer," Alex says.  
  
"You mean he goes to the same school that we do?" Bethany asks, surprised. Then she hits her forehead with a palm. "Of course! If you were brought here by accident when they summoned him, then you know him. And its not likely that you know anyone outside of school."  
  
"She's smarter than I thought," Silver Ranger chuckles, "but you will not find me accidentally giving off information about myself. I've had enough practice doing that with my friends that you won't even pose a threat."  
  
"He's telling the truth," Alex says, "normally, he loves to boast. But he's been more silent about this than he's ever been with anything else."  
  
"Can you please conjure up that outfit you were talking about?" Silver Ranger says, exasperated.  
  
"Sure thing," Alex says. Green light emerges from his hands and forms into a bundle of clothes in Silver Ranger's arms. The Silver Ranger nods his thanks and heads for the male changing room.  
  
"So, how long have you known Silver Ranger?" Bethany asks.  
  
"He says he doesn't want you to know anything about himself except what he tells you, and I'm not gonna tell," Alex replies.  
  
"Well then, what can you tell me that wouldn't give a clue to his identity?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Not much," Alex says, "other than he is dedicated to protecting Earth and he doesn't like to kill."  
  
"And I have taken an extreme liking to the color silver as of late," Silver Ranger says from behind. He was now wearing two-toed ninja shoes, loose silver-gray pants, a loose silver-gray shirt, and a face-mask with crystalline slots covering his eyes. He has on cloth gloves that appeared to be fairly comfortable.  
  
Bethany raises an eyebrow. "I'd say that is an understatement."  
  
"Well then, shall we give it a go?" Silver Ranger says as he picks up a practice sword from the stand in one corner.  
  
"So we're gonna go at it with weapons?" Bethany asks as she drops into a fighting stance.  
  
"No, we both go all-out," Silver Ranger replies, "we fight until one gives up, is called to be dead by Jacolby, or until there is an obvious winner. Whichever comes first. Care to start us off Jacolby?"  
  
"Ready and fight!" Jacolby says, dropping his arm in a chop to signify the start of the match.  
  
Silver Ranger moves in low and quick, slicing at Bethany's mid-section. She blocks with her axe, but Silver Ranger slides the blade in around the haft and sets the tip of the practice sword against her throat.  
  
"Cheap trick," Jacolby chuckles, "I believe I taught you that."  
  
Silver Ranger drops into an 'at ease' position, moving the sword away from Bethany's throat.  
  
"No bad, eh?" he asks, "eventually you'll be able to do that."  
  
"The two of you should be fairly even once Bethany gets better at using the knowledge and abilities at her disposal," Jacolby says, "right now she's at a disadvantage."  
  
"It's a disadvantage that she'll have to learn to deal with," Silver Ranger snaps, "that last goon of Dark Specter's was far more powerful than Divorx. She was very powerful."  
  
"She wasn't one of Dark Specter's minions," Eleanor says from the doorway that led outside.  
  
"What is it, Lady Eleanor?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Bethany, you said the monster identified itself as Hibikime, correct?" Connerly asks from where he was behind Eleanor.  
  
"Yes, she did," Bethany replies.  
  
"It is as I feared," Eleanor says, "Hibikime is a servant of Lady Voricifa, a powerful enchantress. If Voricifa has teamed up with Dark Specter, then he knows a fair amount about you Silver Ranger."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Silver Ranger asks, his voice puzzled.  
  
"As close as I could put it in terms you would understand, Voricifa is a succubus," Connerly replies, "it appears Dark Specter knows you're a teenage human male, Silver Ranger. Be on your guard against he, um, shall we say feminine wiles."  
  
Silver Ranger laughs, startling Connerly and Eleanor.  
  
"Man, Dark Specter may know that, but its apparent he truly doesn't know me yet," Silver Ranger chortles, "Voricifa will have about as much an effect on me as a gnat would against a Zord."  
  
"How can you say that?" Connerly gasps, "Voricifa is the Mistress of Seduction. No man can ignore her, even those protected by a supernatural power!"  
  
"And I'm not an ordinary man," Silver Ranger retorts, "Voricifa will have no effect on me." With that, he heads back to the changing area.  
  
"How can he say that he will be able to ignore Voricifa?" Eleanor asks Connerly.  
  
"Because he really doesn't like females," Alex replies. The others look at him in surprise.  
  
"I know a lot about him," Alex explains, "he really doesn't like girls. I think most of the reason he won't show you his identity, Beth, is tied to that."  
  
"Why doesn't he like girls?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Why else would a guy not be fond of the opposite sex?" Alex asks.  
  
"You mean he's-?" Bethany asks.  
  
Silver Ranger's voice comes floating in from the changing room rather loudly. "I'M NOT GAY!"  
  
"How did he hear that from the men's changing area?" Jacolby asks in wonder.  
  
"How did he know what I was gonna say?" Bethany wonders.  
  
"He's been accused of being gay for years," Alex replies, "he's very sensitive about it. He's not gay, but he doesn't like girls. He's had almost nothing but bad experiences with females close to his own age. Even within his own family he stays away from his female relatives because of this."  
  
"Poor guy," Bethany says softly, "has he ever had a girlfriend?"  
  
"I'll leave that up to him to answer," Alex replies.  
  
"The answer depends on your definition of a girlfriend," Silver Ranger says as he heads back into the workout room, fully morphed.  
  
"And what do you mean by that?" Bethany inquires.  
  
"Exactly what it sounds like," Silver Ranger replies.  
  
"Easy guys," Alex says, steeping between the two Atlantean Rangers, "save any and all hostility for the Dark Specter and his minions.  
  
Little did Alex realize that that was exactly what they needed to be doing. Dark Specter was looking down at a kneeling Voricifa and Hibikime before him, pondering what course of action he should take. They had failed. Voricifa had called Hibikime back and she had been unable to seduce the Silver Atlantean Ranger.  
  
"Voricifa, explain yourself," Dark Specter rumbles, "how exactly did you fail?"  
  
"I misjudged his sense of duty, my lord," Voricifa replies, "but now, with Hibikime helping, he shall fall to my will."  
  
"Yes, and why did you call Hibikime back?" Dark Specter asks. Something in his voice told Voricifa that she had better have a good reason for pulling her out.  
  
"My lord, the Silver Atlantean Power Ranger is a very difficult catch," Voricifa explains, "even my charms alone were unsuccessful. But against two lovely women, Hibikime and myself, his resistance will crumble like an old building."  
  
"Why Hibikime?" Dark Specter asks.  
  
"Hibikime is my most successful disciple, even if she has yet to acquire abilities equal to my own. She feels the need to spend time training herself to fight when she could be training her skills at seducing men."  
  
"Very well," Dark Specter says, "do not fail me again."  
  
"Yes, my lord," Voricifa says. She turns and leaves, Hibikime trailing behind her quickly.  
  
After they exit the Dark Specter's chamber, Hibikime looks at her mistress.  
  
"Lady Voricifa, why do you pay homage to him?" Hibikime asks, "you've always made it a point to serve whoever is the supreme evil in the galaxy. You served Rita Repulsa out of mutual interest in her battle with Zordon of Eltare. You served Lord Zedd because he was the Lord of Evil. You never served Mondo's Machine Empire for it had no use for your services. And you served the Dark Specter because he was the monarch of all that is evil. And all of them were defeated or destroyed by the Wave. You've made it a point to serve only those who do not fail. So why serve him if he was defeated?"  
  
"He was nearly killed by that traitorous swine, Darkonda," Voricifa corrects, "he made one mistake, and only one in his entire career. That and he underestimated the Power Rangers."  
  
"But he still made a mistake," Hibikime says, "and when someone makes a mistake like that, you never serve them again. Why change now?"  
  
"Because the Dark Specter is power personified," Voricifa replies, "nothing can match his power. It took a Super Torpedo, a weapon used to destroy planets, to even harm him. He survived two such torpedoes. What does that say to you about his power?"  
  
"He is invincible and immortal," Hibikime realizes.  
  
"Yes," Voricifa says huskily, "the Dark Specter is the single most powerful being in the entire galaxy. When he gets his revenge, it will be glorious!"  
  
The two women share an evil laugh.  
  
~On Earth~  
  
"Hey Jesse, come on we gotta go," Alex says to his gray-clad friend.  
  
"Man, do we gotta?" Jesse whines.  
  
"Dude, I know you would much rather stay home and play video games, but we have to go and meet the rest of the MYF," Alex argues, "we need you for this play."  
  
"Man, if I find out who signed me up for this play, I'm gonna do some serious harm to him," Jesse grumbles, "and how in the world did you get assigned to be the one to make sure I showed up?"  
  
"If you would like to recall, you were the first to say that a play wouldn't be such a bad idea," Alex says, "and as for why I've gotta make sure you get there, I volunteered. I knew you'd try and ditch."  
  
"You know me too well," Jesse grumbles as Alex hauls him to the church for play practice.  
  
Across town, Bethany Black, the Bronze Atlantean Power Ranger, was shopping. Her taste in clothes had recently changed and she wasn't sure why. She had noticed that all of her new choices had a decidedly bronze tinge to them, but that was about it.  
  
"I hope the Dark Specter doesn't attack today," she mutters, "the mall is still recovering from the last attack."  
  
Jackson, unlike the other cities that had been attacked by the evil so far, had few large buildings. In fact, the largest buildings were in downtown Jackson and they were nowhere near Zord sized like the other cities skyscrapers. For which Bethany was grateful. They certainly wouldn't get a good rep if they smashed into buildings like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had during the early stages of their career.  
  
As if to refute her wishes, a monster appears. He was a gigantic humanoid rock creature. The monster starts firing energy blasts from its eyes at everything that moves. Bethany jumps into the corridor that leads to the ladies room to avoid being hit with a blast.  
  
She knew she had to morph, but the corridor was occupied by another girl. Bethany knew her from school.  
  
"Holly, we gotta get out of her," Bethany urges her friend.  
  
Holly Replogle was slightly taller than Bethany herself was, standing at about 5' 7" and was the envy of quite a few of the girls on the cheerleading squad. She had green-hazel eyes and dark blonde hair worn shoulder length. She was wearing a lavender pastel shirt with denim jeans. She was wearing a belt with a buckle that looked strangely familiar.  
  
"But how?" Holly asks, "there's no way out. That rock creature will blast us if we move."  
  
"And if we stay here, we'll likely get buried alive," Bethany counters.  
  
Holly's belt buckle begins to glow.  
  
"What's going on?" Holly shrieks. The buckle slightly changes shape. It changes into an Atlantean Morpher. The Platinum Morpher.  
  
"What is this?" Holly asks, indicating the Morpher. Suddenly, Bethany's communicator goes off. Bethany sighs and decides to answer it, since it was obvious that another Morpher had chosen someone to wield its powers.  
  
"Go ahead, this is Bethany," she says into the communicator, much to Holly's surprise.  
  
"Bethany, a Morpher has become active in your vicinity," Eleanor says through the communicator.  
  
"Your telling me," Bethany says, "it just activated right in front of my eyes."  
  
"Our spells also indicate that Dark Specter has sent a monster is nearby," Connerly says.  
  
"Your not whistling Dixie," Bethany mutters, "what should I do?"  
  
"Do you know the location of the person the Morpher has chosen?" the Elder asks.  
  
"She is standing right next to me," Bethany says, "should I teleport her to you so you can brief her while I tale care of the monster?"  
  
"Yes, do that," the Elder says, "you say she's standing right next to you?"  
  
"Affirmative," Connerly says, "we'll brief her and see whats comes of it."  
  
"Holly, keep an open mind," Bethany says moments before Holly disappears in a flash of platinum colored light.  
  
"Um, have you contacted Silver Ranger yet?" Bethany asks.  
  
"He's not responding to our hails," Connerly replies, "he is receiving the communications, but he is not responding."  
  
"He may not be in a position to answer," Bethany replies, "such as among a group of friends. He my be trying to get away as we speak."  
  
"Well, right now you are the only one able to fight this monster at the moment," the Elder replies, "I advise you to do so."  
  
"Right," Bethany says, "how's Holly taking everything?"  
  
Eleanor chuckles. "She's pelting us with questions."  
  
"Sounds like her," Bethany says, "now down to business."  
  
Cutting off the communication, Bethany summons the Bronze Morpher.  
  
"It's Morphin time!"  
  
She presses the buttons in the proper sequence, then holds the Morpher out in front of her in her palms.  
  
"Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
Bethany is instantly engulfed in bronze light. When the light fades, the Bronze Atlantean Ranger is in her place.  
  
"Time to kick some rocky behind," she says as she teleports the short distance to be in front of the creature.  
  
"Stop!" she commands, "or be destroyed."  
  
"I am the Rock Ogre," the creature says, "and you die, Ranger."  
  
With that, he comes in swinging.  
  
Bronze Ranger backflips to avoid being hit. She pulls out a Blade Blaster and fires. Several bronze energy bolts fly, hitting the Rock Ogre in various spots, but they do not do much damage.  
  
"Fool," Rock Ogre says as he knocks Bronze Ranger away and into a wall.  
  
"Man, he's tough," she grumbles, "I hope Holly shows up soon or I'm in big trouble."  
  
Holly, for her part, was doing quite well. As soon as she settled down from her first experience teleporting, she starts pelting the Elder, Eleanor, Connerly, and Jacolby with questions.  
  
"Whoa, settle down little girl," Connerly says, "neither the Bronze Ranger or the Silver Ranger made this much of ruckus when they were brought here."  
  
"What is this place?" Holly demands.  
  
"This is Atlantis, home and source of power of the Power Rangers of Atlantis, who have recently started defending your own hometown," Jacolby says.  
  
"How is Bethany connected to this?" Holly demands.  
  
"Your friend Bethany is the Bronze Power Ranger of Atlantis," Eleanor replies. Holly gapes at the elderly woman.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't know," Eleanor says, "we told both the Silver and Bronze Rangers to keep their identities secret. The Silver Ranger has yet to reveal his identity to the Bronze Ranger."  
  
"But how do I fit in this?" Holly asks.  
  
"Because that belt buckle you have is actually the Platinum Morpher of Atlantis," Jacolby says, "you have the chance to become the Platinum Ranger of Atlantis. The only Platinum Ranger in the universe, much like Bethany is the only Bronze Ranger in the universe."  
  
"I could become a Power Ranger?" Holly gasps.  
  
"The Platinum Morpher has found you worthy," the Elder says, "the final choice is yours. Will you help us fight the Dark Specter?"  
  
After thinking a moment, Holly nods her head in agreement. "What do I do?"  
  
"Take the Morpher from your belt and hold it in your right hand," the Elder instructs. Holly does so.  
  
"Now, read the inscription and tell us what it says," Connerly says.  
  
Holly reads the inscription carefully. "If ye be of a sound and intelligent mind and a noble soul with a just cause to defend, then ye shall beg ranted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in sequence: Platinum, Crystal, White, Aqua, Silver, and Bronze. If your cause is not pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."  
  
She rereads the inscription, then shrieks. "Oblivion!"  
  
"Do not worry, child," Eleanor says, "the Silver and Bronze Rangers survived, and their cuase s the same as yours. You have no worries."  
  
"Now, call out 'It's Morphin time!' and press the buttons in sequence," Jacolby says.  
  
"It's Morphin time!" Holly cries out, then rapidly presses the buttons on the Morpher in the said sequence. A flash of platinum light and in Holly's place is the Platinum Ranger of Atlantis.  
  
Mostly her appearance was the same as the Bronze Atlantean Ranger, only the shield and suit itself were platinum in color. The helmet was widely different from the other two Atlantean Rangers.  
  
The helmet was of a design of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, only a winged unicorn was the animal represented instead of a dinosaur or some other animal like the Wild Force Power Rangers or the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers. She removes her helmet.  
  
"Wow, this is so cool!" Holly cries out as she examines her outfit and helmet, "its impossible to describe the rush of power I'm feeling. Will I feel this every time I morph?"  
  
"Maybe," Connerly says, "Silver Ranger never mentioned much. He likes to keep things himself instead of interacting with others."  
  
"Well, can I go help Bethany?" Holly asks.  
  
"Simply return your helmet to your head and we'll teleport you to the battlefield," Connerly says, "and just follow the instincts. Until you can take care of yourself on your own, the Morpher will guide you in the use of all of your abilities."  
  
"Okay," Holly says and replaces the helmet. In a flash of platinum colored energy, she teleports out.  
  
"Well, at least this one will work with at least one of the other Rangers," Jacolby sighs.  
  
"Jesse will work with these two girls," Eleanor says, "he cares too much for the Earth not to."  
  
"Maybe someday he'll learn to work as a teammate to them," Connerly says, "until then, we can only hope."  
  
Jesse was indeed unable to answer his communicator. And he was unable sneak away.  
  
"Jesse, would you please concentrate on your lines?" the youth groups leader, Ellen, asks.  
  
"Sure thing Miss Ellen," Jesse replies, only half paying attention. He just couldn't concentrate knowing something was going on.  
  
As it turned out, he needn't have worried.  
  
Platinum Ranger leaps into the battle and knocks the Rock Ogre into the parking lot through the mall doors.  
  
"Um, who are you?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Platinum Ranger at your service Beth," Platinum Ranger replies.  
  
"Holly?" Bronze Ranger says, amazed, "guess you decided to help out after all, huh?"  
  
"You got it," Platinum Ranger replies, "what do you say we show this guy some girl power?"  
  
"Your on," Bronze Ranger says, "Bronze Staff!"  
  
The Bronze Staff appears in the Bronze Ranger's hands, who quickly turns it into the Bronze Battle Axe.  
  
"Platinum Staff!" Platinum Ranger calls out. A staff similar to the Gold Zeo Ranger's Power Staff, but on one end was a piece that looked like an end of the Power Lance wielded by the Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger.  
  
"Platinum Partisan!" Platinum Ranger calls out. The Platinum Staff extends until it is twice as long.  
  
"Lets get this shmuck," Platinum Ranger says, then leaps into the battle, swinging the Platinum Partisan.  
  
The Bronze and Platinum Rangers attack the Rock Ogre, stabbing and chopping as valiantly as possible. Platinum Ranger spins her Partisan and jams it into the Rock Ogre's stomach in a shower of rocks.  
  
The Rock Ogre stumbles back, astounded at the strength of the attacks. These Atlantean Rangers were far stronger than they looked.  
  
"You are strong," he mutters, "but I am stronger." To accentuate that statement, he plows one giant fist each into both Rangers. The blows send them flying into a wall, but not through it. He follows it up with energy bolts from his eyes.  
  
From atop the mall, Voricifa and Hibikime watche the battle in anger.  
  
"Drat, the Silver ranger isn't around and this new Platinum Ranger is female," she curses.  
  
"Do not worry, my mistress," Hibikime says, "he will have to reveal himself eventually."  
  
"And when he does, then he will be ours," Voricifa says with a wolfish grin.  
  
"Yes, he will be ours," Hibikime says, licking her lips.  
  
At the youth meeting, Jesse was finally able to get away from the others.  
  
Tapping the communicator button, he speaks. "Go ahead, whats the problem?"  
  
"Jesse?" the Elder asks, "thank goodness. Bronze and Platinum Rangers are facing a rock monster at the mall."  
  
"Bronze and Platinum Rangers?" Jesse asks incredulously, "you found another Morpher?"  
  
"Yes, and it is most fortunate," the Elder replies, "now, can you come and help?"  
  
"Not yet," Jesse says, "give me another ten minutes and I'll be there."  
  
"Please hurry," the Elder says, "I'm not sure how much longer Bronze and Platinum Rangers will be able to hold off the Rock Ogre."  
  
"I will," Jesse says, then cuts the communication. "Now I just hope Miss Ellen doesn't make us stay overtime."  
  
Bronze Ranger and Platinum Ranger could barely dodge the Rock Ogre's punches. But they still had agility and speed on their side.  
  
"Blade Blasters!" Bronze Ranger calls out and pulls out her Blade Blaster as Platinum Ranger follows suit, "fire!" The two Rangers take aim and fire at the Rock Ogre. The bronze and platinum colored beams bounce off the Rock Ogre's thick skin.  
  
"Ooh, that tickles," Rock Ogre says, "shoot again."  
  
"I think we're in trouble," Platinum Ranger says as she and Bronze Ranger back away from the Rock Ogre.  
  
"This guy is way too tough," Bronze Ranger says, "we need the Silver Ranger. We need his firepower."  
  
"Where is he?" Platinum Ranger demands crossly.  
  
The Elder speaks up from their communicators. "Rangers, Silver Ranger says he is tied up at the moment. He says he'll be able to get away without rousing suspicion in ten minutes. Can you hold off the monster long enough to do that?"  
  
"We'll try, Elder," Bronze Ranger says, "but all of our conventional weapons aren't putting a dent in him."  
  
"Try using your weapons in Staff mode," Connerly says, "they pack more projectile firepower then."  
  
"Okay," Bronze Ranger says, "Bronze Battle Axe, Staff Mode!" The Bronze Battle Axe reverts to its Staff mode.  
  
"Platinum Partisan, Staff Mode!" Platinum Ranger calls out. The platinum colored weapon reverts to its Staff mode.  
  
"Energy beams, fire!" both Rangers call out.  
  
A bronze-hued beam shoots from the jewel on the Bronze Staff and a platinum- hued beam shoots from the tip of the Platinum Staff. The combined energies slam right through the Rock Ogre, sending it flying from the force of the blast.  
  
~On Atlantis~  
  
"We were lucky that the Platinum Morpher was the next Morpher to be found," Eleanor says, "there has always been a bond between the Bronze and Platinum Warriors in the past and their powers and Zords are compatible. And with these two already being friends, then they'll learn their combination abilities a lot faster."  
  
"Indeed," Connerly says, "but remember what Alex said? Jesse isn't fond of females, and his first two teammates are female. In fact, all of his teammates may end up being female."  
  
"He'll have to deal with it if that happens," Jacolby says in a low voice, "but he obviously knows his duty. If we're extremely lucky, maybe one of the next Morphers will choose one of those Zordon chose to be Power Rangers. With the experience such a person would bring, we can quickly raise the Power Rangers of Atlantis into an effective and efficient fighting force that can turn back even the Dark Specter."  
  
"That's wishful thinking," Connerly snorts, "however, of all the people on the Earth the ones first chosen by Zordon would indeed be likely choices for the Morphers."  
  
"Even so, the Morphers have normally chosen people with no other powers to speak of," the Elder says, "people who have never had any other type of power except physical strength to defend themselves with. The Green Morpher would always choose an exceptionally strong wizard or an expert hand to hand combatant to for its use since it could not give a weapon for the Green Warrior."  
  
"Well, the Bronze and Platinum Rangers are doing fine for now," Eleanor says, "and the Green Morpher is lost to us forever."  
  
"If Ninjor hadn't used it to make the Power Coins, then Rita Repulsa would have conquered the universe ten thousand years ago, and even if she hadn't then she likely would have conquered the Earth when she escaped from the dumpster," the Elder says.  
  
"I know that," Eleanor snaps, "but we would possibly have seven Atlantean Warriors eventually instead of six Atlantean Rangers."  
  
"We can't help the past," Connerly says, "but we can work hard to protect the future."  
  
~At the battle~  
  
Bronze and Platinum Rangers were continuously shooting energy blasts from their Staffs, but it wasn't doing much good. The Rock Ogre was still coming.  
  
"Stand still, you little gnats!" he roars, "stand still so I can smash you!"  
  
"Not a chance," Platinum Ranger says, "why don't you stand still so we can turn you into so many pebbles, rocks for brains?"  
  
"I do have rocks for brains," the Rock Ogre says, "now take this!"  
  
Rock Ogre slams his fists into the ground in a double axe handle smash, creating a small quake and causing the two Rangers to lose their footing. He was on them in a flash. He knocks the two Rangers to the ground and stomps on them with all his strength.  
  
Jesse says goodbye to everyone else and runs to the park. Alex jogs after him.  
  
"Whats up dude?" Alex asks.  
  
"There's a new Ranger around, and they and Bronze Ranger are fighting a monster at the mall," Jesse explains hurriedly, "now, I gotta find a place to morph so I can help them."  
  
"Good luck man," Alex says, "turn that monster to dust."  
  
"Right man," Jesse says and runs behind a building and pulls out his Morpher.  
  
"It's Morphin time!" he calls out, then presses the buttons in the correct sequence.  
  
"Silver Power of Atlantis!" he calls out. A brief flash of silver light and the Silver Atlantean Ranger is standing in his place. Hut his outfit is now different. The shield, which before was metallic white with silver trim, was now black with silver trim.  
  
"Wonder what brought about the change?" he wonders, "oh well, no time to ponder such things." With that, he teleports to the battle.  
  
The Rock Ogre was having fun. Stomping on the Rangers was loads of fun and nothing could stop him.  
  
He is about to start stomping on their heads of the downed Rangers when he is struck by a beam of silver light.  
  
"Who dares disturb my fun?" he roars.  
  
"How about me?" Silver Ranger says, holding his Silver Staff.  
  
"Another Ranger?" Rock Ogre chuckles, "more fun to bash!" The Rock Ogre charges at the Silver Ranger, who launches a flying kick into the Rock Ogre's chin, only to have his leg grabbed after it connects and flung into a nearby light post.  
  
"Okay, that wasn't too smart," he mutters, "hey Bronze Ranger, Platinum Ranger, you two okay?"  
  
A definitely female voice comes from the Platinum Ranger. "Yeah, we're fine."  
  
Silver Ranger groans. "Not another female. Oh well, can't be helped." He gets to his feet, only to be knocked about with a rising knee from the Rock Ogre.  
  
"Man this guy is strong," Silver Ranger grumbles as he receives another kick.  
  
"Hey ugly!" Bronze Ranger yells, "get away from our friend!" She punctuates her command with a blast from her Bronze Staff. The blast grazes the Rock Ogre, but does little damage. Platinum Ranger fires an energy beam from her Platinum Staff that hits the Rock Ogre in the shoulder, knocking away a sizable chunk of its shoulder.  
  
"You hurt me, now I kill you!" the Rock Ogre roars and charges at the two female Rangers.  
  
"Man, doesn't this guy have any weak points or weaknesses?" Bronze Ranger demands as she dodges the Rock Ogre's fist.  
  
"Offhand, I'd say no," Platinum Ranger says as she cartwheels out of the way of a kick.  
  
"Back off rockhead!" Silver Ranger says as he dropkicks the Rock Ogre in the back of the head, sending the monster stumbling.  
  
The three Rangers regroup.  
  
"Any ideas, Silver Ranger?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Not really," Silver Ranger replies, "our powers are basically the same, but I've been told that the other Rangers have powers different from mine. You have Blade Blasters and I don't."  
  
"Then what do we do?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"Don't look at me," Silver Ranger says, "the Silver Morpher has been telling me nothing."  
  
"The Silver Morpher?" Silver Ranger asks, perplexed.  
  
"My transformation devise," Silver Ranger explains, "the source of my Ranger powers. You have a Platinum Morpher and Bronze Ranger has a Bronze Morpher."  
  
"What does that have to do with knowledge?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"Haven't you been wondering how you know exactly how to use your weapons?" Silver Ranger asks, "oops, duck!"  
  
Silver Ranger does the splits and Bronze and Platinum Rangers cartwheel out of the way as the Rock Ogre charges them again. Silver Ranger transforms his Silver Staff into the Silver Saber and jams it into the groin area of the Rock Ogre. Surprisingly, the Rock Ogre stumbles back in pain.  
  
Silver Ranger rolls back and gets to his feet.  
  
"Okay, that puts disturbing images into my mind," he mutters before transforming the Silver Saber back into the Silver Staff and fires a beam of silver energy at the Rock Ogre's eyes.  
  
"Instead of trying to find odd weak points," he says as Bronze and Platinum Rangers join in firing their own colored energy beams at the Rock Ogre, "go for the ones you know."  
  
"Is that from the Silver Morpher?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"No, just common sense," Silver Ranger replies, "heads up!" He ducks as the Rock Ogre begins firing energy blasts from his eyes. One of them hits the Bronze Ranger squarely in the chest. Bronze Ranger is sent flying.  
  
"Any ideas, fearless leader?" Platinum Ranger asks Silver Ranger.  
  
"I'm no leader," Silver Ranger replies, "but I do have an idea. What kind of weapons do you have?"  
  
"I have the Blade Blaster, the Platinum Staff, and the Platinum Partisan," Platinum Ranger replies.  
  
"A partisan?" Silver ranger says thoughtfully, "enter single combat with that thing, suing all the innate knowledge of fighting with a partisan that your Morpher gives you. I have an idea that Bronze Ranger and I can implement."  
  
"If your positive," Platinum Ranger says, summoning the Platinum Partisan. She leaps at the Rock Ogre and engages it as she delves deep into the partisan fighting knowledge that the Platinum Morpher held.  
  
Silver ranger hurries over to the Bronze Ranger.  
  
"So, whats the idea chief?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Basically the same as before," Silver Ranger says, "only its Platinum Ranger providing the distraction."  
  
"Think its gonna work?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"If it doesn't, then we're no worse off than before," Silver Ranger replies as he grips the Silver Saber. Bronze Ranger turns the Bronze Staff into the Bronze Battle Axe.  
  
"Wait, the Silver Power is telling me something," Silver Ranger says. He seems to be thinking for a moment, then drops into a stance to leap.  
  
"Change of plans," he says, "you and Platinum Ranger are gonna do a dual attack. You're gonna combine your special attacks to form an extremely powerful attack."  
  
"That's a good idea," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"I'll distract the Rock Ogre," Silver Ranger says before leaping at the Rock Ogre and slashing it across the chest while Platinum Ranger stabs it in the stomach.  
  
"Go and use your specialty attack with Bronze Ranger," he orders, "your combined attacks will be more effective than mine and Bronze Ranger's attacks."  
  
He spins his blade around, forming a shield. The Rock Ogre begins to pound mercilessly on the shield.  
  
Platinum Ranger backflips and lands beside Bronze Ranger.  
  
"Ready?" she asks.  
  
"You got it," Bronze ranger says.  
  
Platinum Ranger begins twirling the Platinum Partisan over her head. Bronze Ranger whirls the Bronze Battle Axe over her head. Platinum Ranger immediately stops twirling the Platinum Partisan and jabs at the Rock Ogre with the Platinum Partisan. A platinum colored energy stream emerges from the point of the weapon. Bronze Ranger slams the Bronze Battle Axe into the ground, slightly burying the blade in the concrete. Bronze energy streams forth from weapon and slowly emerges from the ground as it streaks towards the Rock Ogre. The two attacks merge mid-air and combine into a platinum- bronze energy burst.  
  
Silver Ranger leaps out of the way and the combined attack slams into the Rock Ogre and blows him apart.  
  
Silver Ranger picks himself up and dusts himself off.  
  
"Wow, I didn't know it would work that well," he murmurs.  
  
"We did that?" Platinum Ranger gapes at the half-melted rock fragments that were blown everywhere.  
  
"Guess so," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"Guess you ladies do make a good team," Silver Ranger says, "I just hope this wasn't a fluke. If it was, then we're doomed."  
  
"What do you mean, a fluke?!" Platinum Ranger demands, "that was pure skill!"  
  
"It was the Power of your Morphers telling you what to do," Silver Ranger retorts, "most of what you saw me doing was the Silver Morpher guiding me. About the only parts that weren't was when I morphed. That's it."  
  
"How long do you think it'll be before we won't have to rely on the knowledge contained within our Morphers?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"No clue," Silver Ranger replies, "I trained all throughout spring break and had no clue what to do during my next battle without the Silver Morpher guiding me."  
  
~Aboard Dark Specter's fortresss~  
  
"No!" he bellows, "the Rock Ogre was destroyed."  
  
Voricifa's voice speaks up from a small screen. "My lord, if you make him grow, we may have a chance to separate the Silver Ranger from the other two Rangers. Rock Ogre can surely take care of the other two on his own."  
  
"Very well," Dark Specter says. Out of a box, he pulls out one of Lord Zedd's spell grenades to make someone large. He uncorks it and teleports it to the Rock Ogre's location.  
  
~On Earth~  
  
The grenade blows and suddenly Rock Ogre is back, only Zord sized.  
  
"Raaagh!" he roars, "now I can really smash things up!"  
  
"Looks like we need the Zords," Silver ranger says, "um, do you two have Zords?"  
  
"Of course," Bronze Ranger says indignantly, "Bronze Griffin, Zord of Atlantis! Power up!"  
  
"Right," Platinum Ranger says, "Platinum Winged Unicorn, Zord of Atlantis! Power up!"  
  
A bronze-colored Zord with the body of a lion and the front legs, head, and wings of an eagle appears along with a platinum colored Zord that looked like a winged horse with a horn sticking out of its head.  
  
Bronze and Platinum Ranger leap into their respective Zords.  
  
"Winged Unicorn, Zord of Atlantis, ready and able to fight!" Platinum Ranger says.  
  
"Griffin, Zord of Atlantis, ready to kick some behind!" Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"Girls," Silver Ranger mutters, "better call the Silver Dragon.  
  
But before he can summon the Silver Dragon Zord, a dark mist envelops him and swallows him up.  
  
"Where'd he go?" Platinum Ranger demands from her Zord's cockpit.  
  
"Dunno, and we got bigger problems to deal with!" Bronze Ranger says as she dodges an eye blast from the Rock Ogre, "we're definitely gonna have to work as a team to take this sucker out."  
  
"Oh, man, where am I?" Jesse asks, "was all that a dream?"  
  
He opens his eyes and looks around. He was in that same hut he had awakened in once before.  
  
"Hello there," a feminine voice says, "I see you're awake again."  
  
"Man, why do I have such a headache?" Jesse demands. He opens his eyes to see the woman whom he had seen before.  
  
"Hello again," Voricifa, in her human guise, says.  
  
"Hello," Jesse says, then groans. He had such a headache!  
  
"Sister, is our guest awake?" another feminine voice says. Jesse cranes his neck to locate the source of the voice.  
  
His looking around reveals a beautiful young woman with raven-black hair.  
  
"Hello," she says, "how do you do?"  
  
"This is my younger sister, Hilda," Voricifa says.  
  
"It would be a pleasure to meet you if I didn't have such a splitting headache," Jesse says, clutching the side of his head.  
  
Voricifa and 'Hilda', who was actually Hibikime, exchange a glance.  
  
'He's fighting the memory block spell and doesn't even know it,' Voricifa telepathically talks to Hibikime in surprise, 'these Earth humans are truly remarkable.'  
  
'Truly,' Hibikime replies telepathically, 'but this one is young and impetuous. He will be an easy target. Let us proceed with our work.'  
  
"Are you okay dear?" Voricifa asks.  
  
"I think so," Jesse replies, "man, what happened?"  
  
"We found you roaming the forest, obviously hurt," Hibikime replies, "you weren't making any sense at all, so we brought you to our home so you could recuperate."  
  
"Thank you, I think," Jesse replies, "but if your responsible for this headache, then I wish you had left me alone."  
  
"But how could we leave such a handsome man alone?" Voricifa asks in a low husky voice.  
  
"Simple," Jesse replies matter-of-factly, "just ignore them."  
  
'How can he ignore all of this?' Voricifa thinks, 'no man should be able to resist the spells we have placed on him.'  
  
"So, young man, do you have a name?" Hibikime asks.  
  
"Not that I can give," Jesse replies, "may I go now?"  
  
"No, you still have a long way to go to recovery," Voricifa says as she pushes him onto his back.  
  
"But- ah!" Jesse yelps as a sharp pain courses through his head.  
  
'Lady Voricifa, there is a possibility that we haven't considered,' Hibikime says to Coricifa telepathically.  
  
'What is it Hibikime?' Voricifa asks.  
  
'He may not any interest in women,' Hibikime replies.  
  
'So he's gay?' Voricifa asks.  
  
'Maybe,' Hibikime replies, 'or he may just not be interested in women the way we are trying to get him interested in at this stage in his life.'  
  
'Intriguing,' Voricifa comments, 'well, he has to die anyway. He's not handsome enough to keep around, even unpowered.'  
  
'I agree,' Hibikime replies, 'shall I get my scythe?'  
  
'No, lets be creative with his death,' Voricifa says, 'since we can't seduce him, we can't take him before Dark Specter while he still has his Morpher. Dark Specter would destroy us. So we must just kill him. We could possibly take his head to Dark Specter so he could mount it."  
  
"Um, ladies?" Jesse asks hesitantly, "I don't mean to intrude, but there is something I have to tell you."  
  
"What is that?" Voricifa asks.  
  
"I think my headache is gone," he replies.  
  
"That is good to hear," Hibikime purrs in her husky voice as she tries to nuzzle up against Jesse.  
  
"However, I now know why," Jesse says seriously as he pushes away Hibikime. He stands up. "The two of you are evil."  
  
Jesse flips over the startled Voricifa and rushes out of the cottage. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Silver Morpher.  
  
"It's Morphin time!" In a flash of silver light, Jesse morphs into the Silver Atlantean Ranger.  
  
"So, you shrugged off our confusion spell," Voricifa says from the doorway.  
  
"What?!" Silver Ranger says, stunned.  
  
In twin flashes of dark light, Voricifa changes into her black armor while Hibikime changes into her green dress and her scythe appears.  
  
"You!" Jesse snarls, startled, "this was a trap?"  
  
"You mean, you didn't know that we were your enemies?" Voricifa asks, puzzled.  
  
"No clue," Silver Ranger says as he crouches into a fighting position, "but I do now."  
  
"I don't even want to know why he called us evil then," Hibikime says in a low growl.  
  
"Females are evil by nature," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Staff!" The weapon appears in his hands in a small flash of silvery light.  
  
"Ready to rumble?" Silver Ranger inquires.  
  
Hibikime lunges at Silver Ranger, swinging her scythe. Silver Ranger blocks with the lower portion of the Silver Staff, then twists his wrist and knocks Hibikime's scythe aside. He swings the Silver Staff and cuts across Hibikime's chest. Voricifa blasts Silver Ranger from behind with a bolt of dark lightning.  
  
Silver Ranger is knocked to the ground hard by the attack. He struggles to get up, but Hibikime is on him quickly, slashing him across the chest hard.  
  
"Man, this is not gonna be an easy fight," Silver Ranger mutters as he lays on the ground.  
  
The Bronze and Platinum Rangers were having a tough time fighting the Rock Ogre. For one thing, Platinum Ranger had only really just received her powers. And neither one had ever fought in a Zord battle. Bronze Ranger hadn't even practiced yet. She was supposed to do some practice Saturday, but it looked like she would have to learn on the job.  
  
"Hey Platinum, we got a problem," Bronze Ranger says through the comm. system as she dodges a blast. The two Ranger's were fortunate that their Zords were both flying Zords. If they were ground based then it was likely that they would get creamed.  
  
"Bronze Griffin Zord, convert to Warrior Mode!" Bronze Ranger commands. The Griffin Zord of Atlantis begins to glow a faint bronze. The front legs shift to form humanoid legs. The back legs shift and a pair of fists come from the paws. The body twists around at the legs, making the belly the front torso. The part with the wings flip around so that the wings are set so that they can act like they are supposed to. The wings then drape along the arms and fuse, then shift into a cloth-like substance. The griffin head moves to the shoulders. The lower part of the beak moves and forms a face.  
  
"Bronze Griffin Zord, Warrior Mode power up!" Bronze Ranger says within the Warrior Mode of the Bronze Griffin.  
  
"Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord, convert to Warrior Mode!" Platinum Ranger commands. The Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord of Atlantis begins to glow a faint platinum color. The wings split, with the upper half of each wing twisting around the front legs. The lower half of both wings twist around the back legs. They glow and change into a form of armor, feet, and hands. The back legs shift so that they are humanoid legs. The front legs shift places so that they are now arms. The front half of the unicorn head, not the horn itself though, drops into the chest where parts of the front legs were.  
  
"Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord, Warrior Mode power up!" Platinum Ranger says within the Warrior Mode of the Platinum Winged Unicorn.  
  
"You think you can win?" the giant Rock Ogre laughs, "well, try this!"  
  
With a loud yell, the Rock Ogre charges the two Zords in an attempt to smash them. But the Platinum Warrior Zord flips over the Rock Ogre and the Bronze Warrior Zord takes flight.  
  
"Griffin Axe!" Bronze Ranger calls out, summoning the weapon of the BronzeGriffin Warrior Zord. A giant version of the Bronze Ranger's Battle Axe forms in the Zord's hands, a perfect fit.  
  
"Winged Unicorn Partisan!" Platinum Ranger calls out, summoning the weapon of the Platinum Warrior Zord. A giant version of the Platinum Ranger's Platinum Partisan forms in the Zord's hands, a perfect fit.  
  
"Let's get this joker," Bronze Ranger says. The Griffin Zord Warrior Mode dives down at the Rock Ogre and slashes it with its Griffin Battle Axe as it passes.  
  
Meanwhile, the Platinum Warrior Zord charges at the Rock Ogre and stabs him in the chest with the Winged Unicorn Partisan. The Rock Ogre stumbles under the force of the blows but he doesn't stop. He smashes a fist into the lower torso of the Platinum Warrior Zord, then grabs it by the head and squeezes.  
  
The metal grinds under the pressure, but does not give. Instead, sparks from the defensive shields shower the ground.  
  
"He's too strong!" Platinum Ranger cries out as she tries to figure out how to break the grip, "I need some help!"  
  
"You got it," Bronze Ranger says, "Bronze Warrior Zord, fire energy cannons!"  
  
On the shoulders of the Bronze Warrior Zord, a pair of spikes extend and energy gathers at the tips. Streams of bronze-colored energy pour from the spikes and hit the Rock Ogre in the back. The Rock Ogre stumbles, but doesn't let go of the Platinum Warrior Zord.  
  
Bronze Ranger curses. She taps her communicator. "Elder? Can't you find Silver Ranger? We need his help? This guy is too strong for just me and Platinum Ranger."  
  
"If you can get him to break his grip on the Platinum Warrior Zord, then you can initiate the Binary Zord 1," Connerly says.  
  
"The what?" Bronze Ranger asks, perplexed.  
  
"It's a combination of the Bronze Griffin Zord and the Platimnum Winged Unicorn Zord," Connerly explains, "you're power is more than tripled over the strength of either Zord. It is also currently the most powerful weapon in our arsenal for fighting two powerful foes."  
  
"Gotcha," Bronze Ranger says, "now, how do I break his hold?"  
  
"Your Zord's Warrior Mode has a special attack," Connerly says, "use it. If it doesn't destroy the Rock Ogre, it'll hurt him enough so that he'll let go of the Platinum Warrior Zord."  
  
"Gotcha," Bronze Ranger says, "Bronze Ranger out." She closes the communication. "Now to try this attack out."  
  
Summoning the Bronze Griffin Battle Axe, Bronze ranger prepares for the strongest attack of the Bronze Warrior Zord.  
  
"Bronze Griffin Battle Axe!" Bronze Ranger calls out, "Atlantean Axe Slash!"  
  
The Bronze Griffin Battle Axe glows with bronze energy as the Bronze Warrior Zord carves a circle in the air, leaving a faint trail of the bronze energy behind. As soon as it finishes carving the circle, the Bronze Warrior Zord slashes to the down-right followed by a horizontal slash and then a diagonal slash to the up-right. As soon as that third slash was made a wave of bronze energy streams forth and collides with the back of the Rock Ogre.  
  
In a shower of sparks and pebbles, the Rock Ogre bellows in pain and lets go of the Platinum Warrior Zord.  
  
"Thank goodness," Platinum Ranger says, "my shields were just about to give out. So whats the plan now Bronze Ranger?"  
  
"We form the Binary Zord 1," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"The what?" Platinum Ranger asks dumbly.  
  
"Just enter the command and we can find out together," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"Initiate Binary Zord 1!" the two female Rangers say in unison.  
  
As one, both the Platinum Warrior Zord and the Bronze Warrior Zord change into their Creature Modes. Then the real change begins.  
  
The Bronze Griffin Zord opens up from the center torso. The back legs come down and cover the front legs like armor. The head shifts and forms a kind of waist armor. The wings move up and fold around to form additional waist armor with the wingtips connecting to the griffin head.  
  
The Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord splits long-length. The front and read flanks become shoulder armor while the front and rear legs merge to become arms. The new chest splits open and the head moves in to reveal a head with a unique design. The chest closes up again as the top part of the Binary Zord 1 connects with the bottom part. The wings of the top part fold over the lower torso to form a glamorous armor.  
  
Inside the new double cockpit, Bronze and Platinum Ranger's are taking everything in as fast as possible.  
  
"Binary Zord 1, ready for battle," the two of them say together.  
  
"Um, Bronze, how do we go about piloting this thing?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
A console lights up and Connerly's voice wafts through the cockpit.  
  
"The piloting of the Binary Zords is truly different from any other Zord piloting that any Ranger team before you has faced. To get perfect control, on of you will be in charge of the movement, much like when you are in your own Zord. The other will control the rest of the Zord, including the weapons that are not controlled through movement. I leave it up to you to decide who does what."  
  
"What kind of weapon does this thing have?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"The Binary Halberd," Bronze Ranger says as she scrolls through the weapons systems, "it appears to be a weapon very similar to your partisan weapons. I suggest you take control of movement for now. You can use the partisan fighting knowledge fairly well with a halberd."  
  
"Right," Platinum Ranger says as she assumes the authority of Zord control, "Binary Halberd!"  
  
The a flash of bronze and platinum light, the Binary Halberd appears. The Platinum Winged Unicorn Partisan made up half the weapon, the Bronze Griffin Battle Axe made up the other half. The Winged Unicorn Partisan, with the blade pointing to the ground, made up a majority of the actual part that was held. The Griffin Battle Axe formed the actual halberd blade.  
  
"Bigger Zord won't help you," Rock Ogre says. He rushes over to the Binary Zord and punches it hard in the gut. But Platinum Ranger blocks the strike with the Binary Halberd and flips the Rock Ogre over with a simple move.  
  
"Wow, this thing is strong," Bronze Ranger exclaims.  
  
"It is 50% stronger than our Zords combined," Platinum Ranger replies.  
  
"Making it two and a half times stronger than either of our Zords alone, right?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Yep," Platinum Ranger says, "now try and find out about what weapons we have?"  
  
"Apparently we have much more powerful version of the attack our Zords have," Bronze Ranger offers, "but it appears to be a finishing move. I didn't put much power into my attack. We couldn't hope to get him hurt enough to get an open shot, so I only used a quarter of my full power."  
  
"We have got to get him out of the city," Platinum Ranger says as she quickly surveys the damage simply walking around in the Zords caused, "any ideas?"  
  
"We have a Zord teleportation system," Bronze Ranger says, "we could grab hold of him with the Binary Zord and then teleport somewhere where damage won't be as severe."  
  
"Great idea," Platinum Ranger says, "lets get this ugly hunk of rocks."  
  
The Binary Zord leaps at the Rock Ogre and grabs it. Bronze Ranger hits a button an in two teleportation beams, one bronze and platinum, the other a rocky brown-gray, the two giants disappear.  
  
Silver Ranger wasn't having a much better time fighting off both Hibikime and Voricifa. Hibikime was impossibly fast with her scythe and Voricifa just wouldn't let up trying to seduce him.  
  
'I think I hurt her ego when I didn't succumb to her power,' Silver Ranger thinks, 'that gives me an idea.'  
  
Blocking Hibikime's scythe with the Silver Staff, Silver ranger begins to taunt Voricifa.  
  
"What's the matter, hag? Can't warm my blood with lust? It's no surprise. You look like a shriveled up old prune."  
  
Voricifa turns red with anger. "How DARE you! Kings, princes, emperors, lords, knights, warriors, and priests have all fallen before me in homage to my beauty."  
  
"Beauty?" Silver Ranger scoffs as he blocks another one of Hibikime's strikes, "I've seen dogs that were prettier than you. Then again, you are a kind of dog. A female dog."  
  
Voricifa was now red with fury. "Hibikime! Kill him!"  
  
Hibikime slashes furiously at Silver Ranger in anger for the things he had just said to her mistress. But to no avail. Silver Ranger manages to block every strike.  
  
"And you're no better," Silver Ranger taunts, "you play lackey to an old hag like her? What are you? The person who changes her bedpan?"  
  
Hibikime's slashes begin to become more savage, using less and less finesse and more and more raw power.  
  
"Is that it?" Silver Ranger demands, though he is definitely beginning to be worse for wear, "I thought you were supposed to be tough. You're no better than your mistress. I'm surprised you don't look like the old prune. Instead, you look like a fat ugly cow."  
  
That did it. Hibikime drops her scythe and launches herself at Silver ranger, hands outstretched and ready to scratch him up with her nails. But Silver Ranger was ready for this. Indeed, he had been planning on it.  
  
He backflips and in an instant transforms the Silver Staff into the Silver Saber. He runs the blade into Hibikime's chest. The blade goes right through her battle garb and pierces her heart.  
  
Hibikime screeches in pain. She clutches the blade of the Silver Saber where it enters her chest. Slowly, her eyes close and her body slumps to the ground and the Silver Ranger grimly draws the blood-covered blade from Hibikime's corpse. Voricifa was frozen in shock. He had been planning that whole time. He had insulted them to make them careless and not use their brains. He had tricked them both! And now Hibikime was dead.  
  
"You'll pay for that, whelp!" Voricifa snarls, rage making her hideous.  
  
"My my, how can you get even uglier?" he chuckles.  
  
"You're gonna regret that," Voricifa says as she begins to grow in size. Her growth continues until she is the size of a Megazord.  
  
"I need the power of the Silver Dragon, the Silver Zord of Atlantis!" Silver Ranger calls out.  
  
The Silver Dragon Zord appears and the Silver Ranger leaps into the cockpit.  
  
"Initiate Warrior Mode!" Silver Ranger commands.  
  
The Silver Dragon Zord glows silver briefly, then begins to change. The legs extend slightly and begin to change as if a fluid. The arms extend as well and the draconic claws split and separate to reveal human-like hands. The tail splits into four sections and snakes around the legs and arms, then spread out to form a sort of armor. The neck splits and lowers, covering part of the upper torso. The draconic head splits down the middle and sets about forming a humanoid head quite similar to that of the Red Dragon Thunderzord's Warrior mode. The head then lowers and settles itself properly. The wings folds, split, and somewhat retract and form a cape, the talon of each wing focusing just in front of the face, locked together. The remains of the tail fold and strap across the back, revealing a sword and scabbard.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord Warrior Mode, power up!" Silver Ranger says.  
  
"I'll tear you limb from limb!" Voricifa screeches as she leaps at the Silver Warrior Zord.  
  
"Initiate mental link-up," Silver Ranger says. A headset lowers and covers his helmet and integrates with it. "Mental link-up established. Activate mental tracers."  
  
The eyes of the Silver Warrior Zord light up, but now there seems to be a human feeling in them.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord grabs Voricifa mid-air and throws her over it. Voricifa tumbles but quickly regains her footing. The Silver Warrior Zord draws its Silver Dragon Saber and lunges at Voricifa. Voricifa summons a long wand that she had taken from where Rita Repulsa had ceased to exist. She parries the sword thrust and beats the Silver Warrior Zord on the head with it.  
  
"Ouch!" Silver Ranger cries out, "now that was unexpected." The Silver Warrior Zord backs away and then strikes again with the Silver Dragon Saber. Voricifa blocks again and goes for a head beating again. But this time the Silver ranger anticipates such a move and backflips, kicking Voricifa in the chin as the Silver Warrior Zord executes the maneuver.  
  
Voricifa stumbles back, clutching her chin with her left hand. "You'll pay for that," she hisses, "you may have ruined my beautiful face."  
  
"Beautiful?" Silver Ranger snorts, "you're ugly as sin."  
  
"Drop it," Voricifa snaps, "you're comments won't make me mad and lose control."  
  
"Comments?" Silver Ranger chuckles, "I'm just stating my point of view."  
  
"You mean you're not attracted to me?" Voricifa asks, stunned.  
  
"In a pig's eye," Silver Ranger says, "I'm about as attracted to you as I would be to a pile of old gym socks."  
  
Red faced with fury, Voricifa attacks savagely, swinging the wand hard and fast at the Silver Warrior Zord. But the Silver Warrior Zord brings up its Silver Dragon Saber and slices through the wand. The two pieces of the wand fall to the ground and let loose their power.  
  
Voricifa absorbs the magic and forms a sword in her right hand. The blade was double-edged and razor sharp. The hilt looked like it had been part of Rita's staff. The blade was golden yellow and glowed with a bright gold light.  
  
"So its come down to a sword fight?" Silver Ranger chuckles, "witch, you made a big mistake."  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord lunges into an attack, sidestepping and driving its left fist into Voricifa's gut. Voricifa grunts as the air leaves her lungs. The Silver Warrior Zord leaps back, spins midair, and slashes Voricifa across the chest with a brutal cut.  
  
"You're good," Voricifa says with a seductive, evil smile, "but you are young, immature. You cannot win."  
  
"Says you," Silver Ranger snarls. The Silver Warrior Zord lunges in for a savage cut, but Voricifa parries and slashes the Zord across the face and follows up with a kick that knocks the Zord away.  
  
"Using my own tactics against me," Silver Ranger chuckles, "wait, I don't recognize this area."  
  
Silver Ranger quickly scans the area to verify his location. He was in Europe! Greece, to be exact.  
  
"Okay, this is no good," Silver Ranger mutters, "come in Atlantis, do you read me?"  
  
"Silver Ranger!" Connerly cries out, "where have you been? The Bronze and Platinum Ranger's need you're assistance!"  
  
"I may be in need of assistance myself," Silver Ranger replies, "I'm fighting Voricifa in Greece. Whats the situation with the others?"  
  
"They have combined the Winged Unicorn and Griffin Atlantean Zords to form the Binary Zord 1," Connerly replies, "if you show up and help, they can form the Ternary Megazord 1."  
  
"The what?" Silver Ranger asks dumbly.  
  
"The Ternary Megazord 1," Connerly explains, "the Binary Zord 1 is a combination of the Griffin and Winged Unicorn Atlantean Zords. The Ternary Megazord 1 is a combination of those two Zords and the Silver Dragon Zord. The Binary Zord is half again as strong as the Silver Warrior Zord. The Ternary Megazord 1 is three times as strong as the Binary Zord 1."  
  
"So its four and a half times as strong as the Silver Warrior Zord?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"They needs its power!" Connerly says, "or at least you and the Silver Warrior Zord. Finish off Voricifa as fast as you can and then teleport with your Zord to their coordinates."  
  
"I got another idea," Silver Ranger says, a grin underneath his helmet. The Silver Warrior Zord launches forward and grabs Voricifa. The two giants teleport out in a flash of silver light and a flash of shadowy light.  
  
"This guy is to tough for us to take on alone!" Bronze Ranger gripes, "where is the Silver Ranger?"  
  
At that moment, Voricifa and the Silver Warrior Zord appear. The Silver Warrior Zord lets go of Voricifa and punches her into the Rock Ogre, sending both giants crashing to the ground.  
  
"Its about time!" Bronze Ranger says hotly, "where were you?"  
  
"Voricifa and Hibikime tied to seduce me," Silver Ranger chuckles, "too bad they didn't know I have no interest in the opposite sex just yet. Hibikime is dead. I drove my Silver Saber through her heart myself. Voricifa, well, you needed my help against the Rock Ogre so I brought her along so we could finish her off along with rocks for brains."  
  
"They tried to seduce you? "Platinum Ranger asks, "how come it didn't work."  
  
"For some reason, he just doesn't have an interest in girls," Bronze Ranger says, "I am curious as to some of the things he told them to make them realize that."  
  
"Some of what I was thinking isn't for mixed company," Silver Ranger replies as he prepares the Silver Dragon Zord for the continued battle, "ready to try the Ternary Megazord 1?"  
  
"The what?" Bronze and Platinum Ranger's ask in unison.  
  
"Ask Connerly," Silver Ranger replies, "though I'm not sure if its needed. Care to try to take on old crone while I take on the pile of rubble?"  
  
"Suit yourself, but the Binary Zord 1 is far stronger than the Silver dragon Zord and we could barely take him to a standstill," Platinum Ranger says.  
  
"You have been using the least experienced Ranger in the universe as the controller for the body movements," Silver Ranger replies, "not to mention neither of you have any experience piloting any kind of Zord. I have fought one Zord battle and the way I have my control system set up it would be like I have loads of battles under my belt."  
  
"So you take on the Rock Ogre while we take on the prune," Platinum Ranger muses, "you got it."  
  
The two enemies get back to their feet.  
  
"You'll pay for that!" Voricifa hisses. She lunges at the Silver Warrior Zord, but Platinum Ranger moves the Binary Zord 1 to intercept the attack. The Binary Zord 1 blocks Voricifa's attack, effectively surprising her.  
  
"What is this?" Voricifa hisses, "little girls fighting? Surely your jesting, Silver Ranger."  
  
"He may be, but we're not, you old crone," Platinum Ranger says.  
  
"Crone!" Voricifa snarls, "I'll show you crone!"  
  
Voricifa slashes the Binary Zord 1 across the upper torso and then stabs it with her nails in the lower torso. The Binary Zord 1 stumbles back in a shower of sparks from its defense shields.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord is dodging the Rock Ogre with relative ease, using hit and run tactics to cut it down a fair amount. But the Rock Ogre was strong, durable, and more than capable of dealing out more damage in its powerful blows than the Silver Warrior Zord could make up for in its hit and run tactics.  
  
"Gonna have to think of something quick," Silver Ranger mutters, "Binary Zord 1, prepare to jump at my command."  
  
"Got it," Platinum Ranger responds as she maneuvers the Zord into blocking and parrying Voricifa's strikes.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord strikes several repeated blows against the most painful parts of the Rock Ogre. The Rock Ogre loses control and charges at the Silver Warrior Zord.  
  
"Now!" Silver Ranger commands as he sends the Silver Warrior Zord into the sky with a high jump. The Binary Zord follows suit with a jump of its own. Voricifa and the Rock Ogre collide with each other, sending each other to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Now for the final strikes," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Dragon Saber!"  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord carves a circle in the air as its weapon begins to glow with a silver light.  
  
The Binary Zord 1's Binary Halberd begins to glow with swirling bronze and platinum light. It begins to twirl the Binary Halberd in front of it, its partisan blade carving a circle in the air.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord slashes diagonal down-right in the circle it had just carved.  
  
The Binary Zord 1 slashes diagonal down-right and begins to spin around.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord spins to the right and slashes to the right in the circle and follows it up with a diagonal down-left slash.  
  
The Binary Zord 1 slashes horizontally to the right, continues spinning and finishes up with a diagonal up-right slash.  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord thrusts the Silver Dragon Blade through the point where the three slashes it made met and begins to slowly lift the sword up above its head. Once the blade is over its head, the Silver Warrior Zord begins to rotate the blade around until it is nothing more than a blur.  
  
The moment the Binary Zord 1 makes that up-right slash, a wave of razor- edged energy flies forth and strikes Voricifa and the Rock Ogre at once.  
  
The Silver warrior Zord makes a final slash and launches the wave of razor- edged energy at Voricifa and the Rock Ogre. Its attack hits just seconds after the Binary Zord 1's attack. The two enemies erupt in a mass explosion.  
  
"Well, that's it for rockhead and the crone," Silver Ranger says.  
  
"Um, Silver Ranger?" Platinum Ranger says, "you don't have to call her a crone now. She's dead so you don't need to make her mad."  
  
"I'm simply stating what I say," Silver Ranger replies, "now, lets teleport back to Atlantis."  
  
In a flash of silver light and a flash of inter-mixed bronze and platinum light, the two Zords and their pilots disappear.  
  
"Congratulations on another battle well fought, Rangers," the Elder says, "and I welcome Holly Replogle, the new Platinum Ranger to the team. You already know Bethany, the Bronze Ranger, and the Silver Ranger apparently still won't let you know who he is."  
  
"Um, am I too late to meet the new Ranger?" Alex calls out.  
  
"No dude, you're cool," Silver Ranger says as Alex walks in.  
  
"Alex Green, is that you?" Holly asks.  
  
"Holly?" Alex chuckles, "well, look at you. The new Platinum Ranger, right?"  
  
"Yep," Holly confirms, "I'm gonna fight monsters."  
  
"And aliens," Silver Ranger says, "I'm not sure about Voricifa, but Hibikime was a living being. That brings my tally up to two."  
  
With that, Silver Ranger turns and walks off.  
  
"Tally?" Platinum Ranger asks, "what is he talking about?"  
  
"The first of the Dark Specter's henchmen to attack, Divorx, was a living being, an alien," Connerly explains, "he didn't just destroy a monster when he defeated him. He killed a living being."  
  
"And that is eating away at him," Alex says, "he tries to hide it, but even all our friends who see him regularly can see it. Its just that I'm the only one who knows what the cause is. So Hibikime was a living being as well, huh?"  
  
"It appears so," Bethany says, "between the exchange between him and Voricifa I heard something about wiping Hibikime's blood off his sword. So I'm guessing he killed her."  
  
"This is not good," Alex says, "this is gonna eat away at him. He doesn't like hurting anything when he can help it, but killing even in the defense of thousands, maybe millions or even billions of lives will tear him up from inside. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to help him deal with this. First, he won't admit anything. Getting him to admit one of his problems is would be like getting Mr. Gott to teach in a dress. Its just about impossible."  
  
"Mr. Gott?" Holy giggles, "the art teacher? It would be funny. Though I actually wouldn't be surprised if he wore a dress on Halloween."  
  
"Same here, but there's my example," Alex says, "its just way too hard. And the end result may be worse if we force him. We're just gonna have to hope that whoever is the next to get an Atlantean Morpher is a good psychoanalyst. If not, then we may have to let someone in on this secret who can help him."  
  
"Now Holly, you must listen and obey to these following rules," Connerly says, "these are the same rules that the Mighty Morphin Power rangers, Zeo Rangers, Turbo Rangers, and Astro Rangers used. First, you must only use your powers to defend, never to attack. Second, you must keep your identity a secret. No one must know who you are. Not even those attacking Earth, if you can help it. This rule only applies while you are on Earth though. If you must travel into space, you may use your own judgment on revealing your identity as a Ranger of Atlantis. An finally, you must never use your powers for personal gain. Now, there are some different circumstances for the first rule. If something were to attack Atlantis directly, you would be obliged to attack them until they stop attacking Atlantis. And, you must always follow the inherent Code of Honor that you possess that drew the Platinum Morpher to you or you will lose its power and protection, possibly forever."  
  
"Code of Honor?" Bethany asks, "why wasn't I informed of such?"  
  
"It was only through a recent digging through the texts in hopes of finding other powers or abilities that you may access that we found this," Connerly explains, "now, do you accept these rules and promise to abide by them?"  
  
"I will to the best of my ability," Holly says sincerely.  
  
"Good," Jacolby says and he walks up to Holly and hands her a platinum- banded communicator.  
  
"This is a communicator," he explains, "it will allow you to contact us or your teammates. Bethany can explain the rest to you later. Right now, each color button will enable you to contact the ranger who wields that color Morpher. There is no platinum button on yours since you are the Platinum Ranger. The button that would be yours will enable you to contact all active communicators in our network. The dark blue button will enable you to contact Alex. That will change if a Morpher ever accepts him. Pay no attention to the Green Button. The Green Morpher has long since been lost forever and beyond our ability to regain. You can look through our library if you wish to learn more. The same goes to you Bethany. Silver Ranger is constantly in and out of our library at seemingly all hours."  
  
"Um, why is Alex here?" Holly asks.  
  
"I am a friend of Silver ranger," Alex explains, "and I was over at his house when he was brought here. We were both examining the Silver Morpher when the teleportation system brought him, and me because I was also touching the Morpher, here to Atlantis."  
  
"Who is he?" Holly asks, "do we know him?"  
  
"You might, just might, know of him," Alex says, "but I know for a fact that you do not know him personally and have never met him face to face."  
  
"Holly, you and Bethany will have to work on your control of your powers," Jacolby says, "especially you, Holly. This was your first day on the job, after all." Jacolby grins.  
  
"Um, you mean training?" Holly asks.  
  
"He does," Bethany says, "but don't worry Holly. There's a good chance he'll stick us together. We're to fight simulated Spectrons unmorphed. Silver Ranger won't join in because he is morphed so so far I have had to train on my own."  
  
"We shall start your training tomorrow," Jacolby says, "and Connerly can look into a way for you to train with your Zords. He'll probably send you to a desert somewhere."  
  
"Now, you may go and return to your normal lives," the Elder says, "Dark Specter will probably be out of action for a few days, trying to figure out how to deal with three Atlantean Rangers."  
  
"Go and celebrate, dears," Eleanor says, "you've earned it."  
  
In flashes of bronze and platinum light, Holly and Bethany teleport out.  
  
"If Dark Specter is willing to hire Voricifa to try and take out Jesse, who knows what he'll try to take out Bethany and Holly," Alex says, "and from what your records show, the Aqua Morpher and Aqua Golem Zord are both under the ruins of Pompei."  
  
"So in essence we'll only have five Atlantean Rangers if we get lucky," Connerly says.  
  
"Lets just hope that that is all we'll need," the Elder says.  
  
"Yes, we can only hope," Eleanor agrees.  
  
  
  
Well, how do you like chapter four? Please review. 


	5. Surprisingly Aqua

"This training isn't so bad," Holly Replogle says as she ducks under an automaton's punch.  
  
"You've yet to have to train on your own," Bethany Black, Holly's close friend and now constant companion says.  
  
"True," Holly concedes. She backflips, then leaps forward and punches the automaton in the lower torso.  
  
"Those two are a remarkable team," Silver Ranger comments to Jacolby as they watch the two girls spar with the automatons.  
  
Six feet tall and heavily built, the automatons were currently programmed to fight like Spectrons, the foot soldiers of the Dark Specter's attack on Earth. Generally they were armed with likenesses of standard Spectron weapons. Right now they carried the blade weapons of Quantrons, the Dark Specter's previous army of shock troops and the basic ancestors of Spectrons.  
  
"Yes, they are very good," Jacolby says, "they rely more on their teamwork than they do the Atlantean knowledge. You still prefer to fight alone and rely solely on the Atlantean knowledge."  
  
"Not in a sword fight," Silver Ranger points out.  
  
"No, you prefer to use your own amateur skills when wielding the Silver Saber," Jacolby says, "but when will you learn to work as part of a team?"  
  
"When they can show me what being a team is," Silver Ranger replies, "if they can match my ideals of a team, then I will be a team player. Until then, I will merely work with them."  
  
"This is not good," Jacolby mutters.  
  
"You think I don't know that?" Silver Ranger demands, "I know they are worthy of the Atlantean Powers. If they weren't, then the Morphers wouldn't have picked them. But my standards are way higher."  
  
"You demand perfection," Jacolby snaps.  
  
"Maybe I do," Silver Ranger says calmly, "but its better to strive for perfection than it is to risk destruction."  
  
"You seem to like risking destruction," Jacolby says.  
  
"He just likes the thrill and the adrenaline rush," Alex says from behind.  
  
Silver Ranger and Jacolby turn around to face Alex. Alex walks up, carrying a staff marked with various runes.  
  
"He's never really had an exciting life before becoming a Ranger," Alex continues, "so now he's trying to get everything he can out of this experience."  
  
Silver Ranger glares at Alex for a moment, then he begins to chuckle.  
  
Connerly walks into the training room, exuding happiness.  
  
"Greetings, Wizard Connerly," Silver Ranger says with a formal bow, "is there something going on?"  
  
"We have detected the activation of a fourth Atlantean Morpher," Connerly says, "and its another one we thought lost."  
  
"You mean another Morpher was remade?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
Connerly chuckles. "No, but it was in Pompei when the volcano blew. So was the Zord that goes along with it. They were both buried under tons of ash and lava. The Zord itself was in the volcano and a sudden upsurge in its power may have been what caused the eruption. "  
  
"You mean our next Ranger will be from Italy?" Bethany asks. She and Holly had cut the simulation to listen to Connerly's announcement.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," Connerly says, "we may just be detecting its power. If that's the case, then we may be able to select who its power goes to. And if that's the case, then Alex will be able to join the fight."  
  
"He would be welcome to join," Holly says, "its just too bad a Morpher has yet to decide he's worthy. We know he is worthy to be an Atlantean Ranger. Its just that his personality, his temperament does not match up enough to any of the existing Morphers. And all of those who possessed the Green Morpher were too different for us to determine what it looked for in a person other than that they have a strong code of honor and are dedicated to protecting others."  
  
"What about how they fight?" Holly asks.  
  
"They are either incredible hand to hand combatants or powerful mages," Connerly replies, "this is because the Green Warrior never had a weapon of its own."  
  
"They didn't?" Bethany asks.  
  
"No, the Green Warrior only had the Dagger that was part of its Ranger powers," Connerly explains, "and its main purpose was to control the Green Dragon Zord. The inherent magic in its metal created a template for the Green Morphin Ranger. The Green Morphin Ranger is almost identical to what the Green Atlantean Ranger would have been."  
  
"Well, shall we go to Italy to find the Morpher?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Wait," Holly interrupts, "should we go Morphed?"  
  
"Hmm, good question," Connerly says, "if you go Morphed, you might attract the Dark Specter's attention. If you go unmorphed, Silver Ranger won't join you, will you?"  
  
"Probably not," Silver Ranger replies, "however, if the Morpher has picked someone and you find them, then just call me in. I can help convince them by appearing before them Morphed."  
  
"Not a good idea," Alex says, "Dark Specter doesn't know their identities yet. He knows yours, and if you show up there as the Silver Ranger, then you'll give away their identities. That's a secret we have that the Dark Specter can't properly plan for."  
  
"And we're gonna have to be really careful with the teleportation," Connerly says, "Dark Specter will be able to sense the teleportation energy for such a distance."  
  
"Perhaps I should go alone, morphed," Silver Ranger suggests, "he knows who I am, I can handle myself fairly well on my own, and my appearance itself will convince the one who gets the Morpher, if anyone."  
  
"Wait, do you speak Italian?" Holly asks.  
  
"I don't speak any foreign language," Silver Ranger replies, "the only language I know is English."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Alex says, "those who possess any form of Atlantean power can speak any language they come across and they can understand any language they come across."  
  
"Then how did you understand the people of Atlantis until you learned their magic?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"All those who step onto Atlantis immediately have a translation spell cast on them," Connerly explains, "it has always been so. It is part of the natural magic of Atlantis."  
  
"Well, that explains a lot," Alex says, "still, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to go alone, Silver Ranger."  
  
"Well, you're gonna have to deal with it," Silver Ranger says, "it's the only logical choice we have. He'll know basically what we're doing if I go alone, but at least I won't be defenseless if they ambush me and don't give me a chance to morph."  
  
"The only problem is that only the America's have had experience with Power Ranger's, though the Pink Zeo, second Pink Morphin, and first Pink Turbo Ranger was from Australia," Connerly says thoughtfully, "and the Yellow Zeo and first Yellow Turbo Ranger was from Africa."  
  
"That does raise a good point," Alex says, "if I'm not mistaken, most of the world didn't even believe that the Power Ranger's existed until the Countdown. There's a chance you'll be received in Italy at gunpoint."  
  
"So Holly and I should go," Bethany says.  
  
"No!" Silver Ranger says, "you would be defenseless and if Dark Specter chose to attack then you'd be dead before you had a chance to morph. And morphing is the only defense you have. Neither one of you are good enough to take on Spectrons unmorphed. You've only been fighting half-strength Spectrons. They fight at the exact level of skill that Spectrons possess, but they have only have the strength."  
  
"What?!" Bethany demands, "you mean we've been fighting half-strength Spectrons the entire time?"  
  
"Why?" Holly asks.  
  
"Currently it is more important that you familiarize yourselves with their fighting style," Connerly replies, "once you do so, then you can deal with their full strength."  
  
"In other words, technique is more important than strength," Holly says bluntly.  
  
"It is a better foundation than strength for it will see you through if your strength fails," Jacolby says.  
  
"Does Silver Ranger train with half-strength Spectrons?" Bethany asks.  
  
"When he trains alone and unmorphed," Jacolby replies.  
  
"Fair enough," Holly says.  
  
"He fights with Spectrons that are maybe three times as strong as normal when he trains morphed," Jacolby says.  
  
"So it'll be as if he is fighting unmorphed," Bethany states.  
  
"No, that's as strong as we can make them," Connerly says, "they are as strong as any of the other teams of Power Ranger's. Particularly the Zeo Ranger's, who were the strongest Ranger's before you."  
  
"Wow," Bethany says, "when will we be able to train with Spectrons that strong?"  
  
"At the rate you're going, only if you're morphed will that ever happen," Silver Ranger says with a near sneer.  
  
"Well, you don't have to be mean about it," Holly huffs.  
  
"I'm going to Italy," Silver Ranger declares, "and none of you are going with me. The two of you can stay behind and train some more. And if Dark Specter attacks somewhere else, then you'll be ready to fight off the monster. With the Binary Zord 1, you have more power than I would in a Zord battle. And the two of you will gain more experience without me there looking out for you. You'll be able to grow on your own."  
  
"Very well," Connerly says, "Silver Ranger, you raise enough good points. You shall go to Pompei alone. But be ready to retreat if you are overwhelmed and help can't come to you. Gaining another Morpher is not as important as losing one we already have in our possession, let alone the one with more power than any other."  
  
"He's the strongest Ranger?" Bethany asks.  
  
"The Silver Atlantean Morpher has more power than any other Morpher in the universe," Connerly replies, "the 'extra' member of each team, in most cases the sixth Ranger, is the strongest on each team. The Silver Morpher was the first Atlantean Morpher that was made, but it is the strongest. The second strongest Atlantean Morpher was the Green Morpher, but it is gone forever now."  
  
"I'm going now," Silver Ranger says.  
  
"Be careful dude," Alex says. Silver Ranger nods and disappears in a flash of silver light.  
  
Silver Ranger appears among the ruins of Pompei, in the center of the ancient city.  
  
"Wow," Silver Ranger murmurs, "this place must have been gorgeous before the eruption."  
  
His wrist communicator beeps.  
  
"Silver Ranger, do you see anything?" Alex asks.  
  
"I just arrived," Silver Ranger retorts, "what do you think?"  
  
"Just wonderin'," Alex says.  
  
"I'll contact you if I see anything," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Ranger out."  
  
Silver Ranger closes the communications signal.  
  
"Now, where to look?" he asks himself.  
  
Dark Specter watched the Silver Ranger's appearance with interest.  
  
"What could he want in that ruined Earth city?" he rumbles, "could they be looking for another Morpher?"  
  
"Master, I have good news!" Darkonda says.  
  
"What is it, Darkonda?" Dark Specter asks.  
  
"I have taken the liberty of contacting the Ogre of the Black Shadow," Darkonda says, "he is on his way to Earth. He is in what the Earthlings call Pompei. I detected an upsurge of a strange energy there earlier today, so I sent him to check it out."  
  
"Very good," Dark Specter rumbles, "the Silver Atlantean Ranger is there, alone. The Ogre of Black Shadow can destroy him. But we need to stop the chance for reinforcements. Send someone else down to distract the other two Ranger's. Send the Hitotsu-Me Giant to destroy this city."  
  
"What do the Earthling's call it?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"Tokyo, Japan," Dark Specter says.  
  
On Atlantis, things are in chaos.  
  
"What is going on?" Holly wails.  
  
"Dark Specter is attacking two cities this time," Connerly replies, "he has sent the Ogre of the Black Shadow to Pompei, presumably to destroy the Silver Ranger. He has also sent a monster we have identified as the Hitotsu- Me Giant to Tokyo."  
  
"The Silver Ranger is gonna have to fight the Ogre of the Black Shadow alone," Jacolby says, "Bethany and Holly, you two ladies are going to Tokyo. You will have to use your Zords to battle this threat. He is larger than the Binary Zord 1 by two Zord heads. You are gonna have to use strategy to beat him. He is stronger than even the Ternary Megazord One, and you can't even use that while the Silver Ranger is in Pompei. And we can't sent it to you and you use it by remote because there is a good chance that the Silver Ranger will need it soon."  
  
"So we're just gonna have to keep him busy until the Silver Ranger can help us," Bethany grumbles.  
  
"And the Aqua Ranger, if we can get their Zord in use," Connerly adds.  
  
"So we just gotta fly by the seat of our pants?" Holly asks.  
  
"You got it," Alex says, "I sincerely wish I could help, but I don't know any spells that can hurt a Zord-sized monster."  
  
"Both of these are monster, right?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Yes, both of them are monsters," Connerly replies, "now go and stop the Hitotsu-Me Giant!"  
  
"Right," Bethany says, "it's Morphin time! Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Platinum Power of Atlantis!" Holly cries out.  
  
In twin flashes of bronze and platinum light, both girls are suddenly clad in the armor's of the Bronze and Platinum Atlantean Ranger's.  
  
"Let's go show this giant that you don't mess with Earth," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
The two female Ranger's teleport out in beams of bronze and platinum light.  
  
"Um, are you sure Silver Ranger can take down this Ogre of the Black Shadow?" Alex asks nervously.  
  
"Hopefully he'll surprise us," Jacolby says darkly, "otherwise, we'll need to find someone else to wield the Silver Morpher and try to come up with a reason for his death."  
  
Alex stares at Jacolby in shock as they watch the events unfold through the magic of Atlantis.  
  
Silver Ranger was getting frustrated. He had no idea how big Pompei was, and he had been wondering around for hours. And there was no sign of the Morpher or even another person! And there was no sign of anything that could pass for a Zord, either.  
  
"Damn, where is everything?" Silver Ranger demands to no one.  
  
"Well, I'm right behind you, Silver Ranger," a deep voice that just oozed with evil says just before the Silver Ranger is knocked down by a massive arm. As he gets back to his feet, the Silver Ranger sees his assailant.  
  
He had a dark reddish-orange skin, spiky green hair, and dark green leg armor. He also wore purple wristbands, a green beard, two horns, and glowing yellow-orange eyes. And worst of all, he was thickly muscled. Not too much to hamper his movement. And Silver Ranger felt that those muscles gave him a lot more strength than it looked like he would have.  
  
"I am the Ogre of the Black Shadow and I am here to destroy you, Silver Ranger," the creature says.  
  
"An ogre, eh," Silver Ranger says, smiling carnivorously behind his mask, "guess you're not alive then, are you?"  
  
"Not as you would classify being alive," the Ogre says, "besides, you won't be alive long enough for it to matter."  
  
"Think again," Silver Ranger growls, "Silver Staff!"  
  
The Silver Staff appears in the Silver Ranger's right hand. He bring sit forward and fires a bolt of silver energy at the Ogre of the Black Shadow. But the Ogre just takes a deep breath and blows out a dark black fog that pushes back the energy bolt.  
  
"This- might be a problem," Silver Ranger mutters.  
  
"This guy is huge!" Platinum Ranger cries out as she avoids being stomped on by the Hitotsu-Me Giant.  
  
"At least his loincloth is closed!" Bronze Ranger says as she gets back to her feet, "otherwise we'd be having to destroy him for public indecency."  
  
"Hey, this is Japan," Platinum Ranger jokes, "have you read the manga they send to America? It's lewd and extremely crude. These people wouldn't bat an eye at public indecency of this sort."  
  
"Lets take him down with the Zords," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"Platinum Winged Unicorn, Zord of Atlantis! Power up!" Platinum Ranger calls out.  
  
"Bronze Griffin, Zord of Atlantis! Power up!" Bronze Ranger calls out. Both Zords appear in a pair of flashes of bronze and platinum light. Both Ranger's leap into their Zord's.  
  
"Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord, convert to Warrior Mode, now!" Platinum Ranger commands.  
  
"Bronze Griffin Zord, convert to Warrior Mode, now!" Bronze Ranger commands. In a pair of flashes of appropriately colored light, both Zords convert to their Warrior Modes.  
  
"Platinum Warrior Zord, power up!" Platinum Ranger says as her Zord completes its Warrior Mode transformation.  
  
"Bronze Warrior Zord, power up!" Bronze Ranger says as her Zord completes its Warrior Mode as well.  
  
"Griffin Battle Axe!" Bronze Ranger calls out, summoning the Bronze Warrior Zord's weapon.  
  
"Winged Unicorn Partisan!" Platinum Ranger calls out, summoning the Platinum Warrior Zord's weapon.  
  
"Why didn't they form the Binary Zord 1?" Alex asks.  
  
"It may have more power than either Zord alone, but the Hitotsu-Me Giant has more brute strength than even the Ternary MegaZord 1," Connerly explains, "so they are obviously using the superior agility of the Bronze and Platinum Warrior Zords to hold him off until Silver Ranger can rescue them."  
  
"Smart thinking," Alex says, "but can they hold him off without doing major property damage?"  
  
"We can only hope," Jacolby says dryly.  
  
"So, you think you can beat me with that stick?" the Ogre of the Black Shadow demands.  
  
"No, but I can beat you with this sword," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Saber!"  
  
Silver Ranger converts the Silver Staff into the Silver Saber and charges the Ogre of the Black Shadow. He ducks a strong punch, then leans in as he stabs into the thick gut of the Ogre. Sparks fly as the Ogre's defense spell is compromised.  
  
"Urk!" The Ogre of the Black Shadow backhands the Silver Ranger into a nearby column. The Silver Ranger slowly picks himself up. The Ogre of the Black Shadow rips the Silver Saber out of his stomach and throws it aside. Black ichor oozes out of the wound.  
  
"Very good," the Ogre says, "you managed to penetrate my defensive shield spell. Not many can. But now you die!"  
  
The Ogre of the Black Shadow raises its right hand and sends out blast after blast of purplish-black energy at the Silver Ranger. The Silver Ranger cartwheels to the side to avoid the shot. He continues to cartwheel to avoid the other blasts. As he dodges the attacks, he passes by the Silver Saber. He grabs it in his right hand. He whips it around, forming his energy barrier. Three blasts of the purplish-black energy hits the barrier and are reflected back at the Ogre of the Black Shadow.  
  
The Ogre barely has the time to raise am arm before his own attacks hit him. In an explosion of purple-black light, the energy erupts violently.  
  
"Whoa," Silver Ranger mutters, "that was close. I could barely keep my concentration up to hold the barrier."  
  
"You did well," a voice from behind him says. Silver ranger whirls around to see what appeared to be another Atlantean Ranger before him.  
  
He appeared to be in an aqua colored version of the Bronze and Platinum Atlantean Ranger costumes. His shield was a metallic aqua. In his right hand was a staff that appeared to be made up of a pair of daggers. And he was about five feet tall.  
  
"Let me guess: Aqua Atlantean Power Ranger?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"At your service," the Aqua Ranger asks, "now who are you? You are not Jace, are you?"  
  
"Who?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"The holder of the powers of the Silver Warrior of Atlantis," the Aqua Ranger asks, "and why are we using these inferior powers?"  
  
"How do you know of the Atlantean Warrior's from before the fall of Atlantis?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Atlantis fell?" Aqua Ranger scoffs, "preposterous! Atlantis is invincible!"  
  
"Obviously you've been out of the loop for a while," Silver Ranger says, "whats your real name, kid?"  
  
"Kid?" the Aqua Ranger repeats in disgust, "I am over thirty years old, youngster?"  
  
"Listen and listen well," Silver Ranger says, his voice rising slowly, "tell me your name and maybe I can sort this out."  
  
"Fine," Aqua Ranger grumps, "I am called Gary Drake."  
  
Once more, Silver Ranger was glad that his helmet concealed his face. He was slack-jawed in amazement. If this guy was telling the truth, he wasn't a new holder of the Aqua Morpher. Instead, he had been an Atlantean Warrior in the battle with the Dark Specter thousands of years ago.  
  
"Tell me the names of your teammates," Silver Ranger says, "I have a fairly good idea what is going on."  
  
"Why should I tell you?" Aqua Ranger demands.  
  
"Because the holder of the Silver Morpher is the leader of the defenders of Atlantis, be they Atlantean Warriors or something else," Silver Ranger snaps, "and as you can see, I possess the Silver Morpher. Now speak up!"  
  
"Jace was never this foul-tempered," the Aqua Ranger mutters.  
  
Silver Ranger felt his insides go numb in amazement. It was true.  
  
"Welcome to twelve thousand years in the future, Gary Drake of the Atlantean Clan Drake," Silver Ranger says, the Silver Morpher teaching him how to do a proper Atlantean bow.  
  
"What?" Aqua Ranger demands.  
  
"I'll explain this later," Silver Ranger says, "can you summon your Zord?"  
  
"Kid, I am the Aqua Zord," Aqua Ranger says seriously.  
  
"Great," Silver Ranger mutters, "delusions of grandeur."  
  
"No, I became one with the Golem Zord during the Dark Specter's attack," the Aqua Ranger explains, "in doing so, I was stuck in its body, sharing the body with the spirit of the Golem. But in doing this I gave it the ability to shrink to a human size body. Only problem was that it is proportionate to the Golem Zord. In other words, I'm pretty much a midget."  
  
"I'll say," Silver Ranger chuckles, "oh, and we're currently called the Atlantean Power Rangers. Still the strongest force of good in the universe and we don't even have all the Morphers. More on that later. Bronze and Platinum Ranger's are in trouble and they need the Ternary MegaZord 1."  
  
"Got it," the Aqua Ranger says, "I call upon the power of the Aqua Golem, Zord of Atlantis!"  
  
The Aqua Ranger opens up his right hand and his costume shimmers and he begins to grow until he is basically what could pass off for Zord size. The Aqua Golem Zord was more broadly built than most Zords. A visor served as eyes.  
  
"Now that is a short Zord," Silver Ranger chuckles, "I call upon the Silver Dragon, Zord of Atlantis!"  
  
The Silver Dragon Atlantean Zord appears in the sky and lands in what was likely the plaza of Pompei.  
  
"Not so fast!" a raspy voice says from behind.  
  
Silver ranger turns to see the Ogre of the Black Shadow getting up. A dark mist forms around him and he begins to grow to Zord proportions.  
  
"What?" Silver Ranger gapes, "your still alive? You're worse than a cockroach."  
  
The Silver Ranger leaps into the cockpit of the Silver Dragon Atlantean Zord.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord of Atlantis, power up!" Silver Ranger says, "convert to Warrior Mode!"  
  
The Silver Dragon Zord initiates its Warrior Mode conversion sequence while the Aqua Golem Zord kept the Ogre of the Black Shadow busy. The only problem with this was that the Aqua Golem Zord only came up to the Ogre of the Black Shadow's waist.  
  
"You have to be kidding me," the Ogre laughs as he picks up the Aqua Golem Zord by the throat, "this is one of your Zords? Pathetic!"  
  
A blast of silver energy causes the Ogre to let go of the Aqua Golem Zord clutch his hand in agony.  
  
"Let my new ally go," Silver Ranger growls from the Silver Warrior Zord's cockpit, "now let's rumble."  
  
"Wait," the Aqua Ranger's voice pipes up on the comm. system, "let's go for the Armor Mode."  
  
"Armor Mode?" Silver Rangers asks, puzzled, "whats that?"  
  
"The way the Aqua Golem Zord combines with the other Zord's is by forming a sort of armor for the Warrior Mode's, increasing their strength by half. And with the Silver Warrior Zord being the strongest of all Zord's, we have a very powerful combination here."  
  
"Then lets do it," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Warrior Zord, Armor Mode activate!"  
  
The flashes of aqua colored light erupt around the Aqua Golem Zord and it splits into several pieces. The legs attach to the Silver Warrior Zord's legs and form leg armor. The torso molds around the torso of the Silver Warrior Zord, forming a shield similar to the Silver Atlantean Ranger's shield, only aqua in color. The head becomes a helmet and the arms become new arm guards and the weapons become arm blades.  
  
"Silver Warrior Zord, Armor Mode! Power up!" Silver Ranger calls out.  
  
The Ogre of the Black Shadow attacks the Silver Armored Warrior Zord, but his attack is stopped by a punch to the face.  
  
"Wow, this power is incredible," Silver ranger says as he feels the strength of the Silver Armored Warrior Zord coursing through his body through the mind link.  
  
"You'll pay for that," the Ogre of the Black Shadow growls.  
  
"Silver Armor Arm Blades!" Silver Ranger calls out. The arm blades snap around, ready for action.  
  
"Armor Blade Strike!" Silver Ranger calls out.  
  
The Silver Armored Warrior Zord carves a double circle in the air, reinforcing the first circle with the second (each circle is being carved by one arm blade). He then slashes diagonally with each arm twice, then slashes with both arms horizontally.  
  
With the final slash, a wave of energy erupts from the circle and hits the Ogre of the Black Shadow. Moments after the wave hits the Ogre of the Black Shadow, he explodes.  
  
"Okay, now to get to Tokyo," Silver Ranger mutters.  
  
"Where?" The Aqua Ranger's voice comes from the comm. unit.  
  
"Its where the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's are fighting another monster. They need the power of the Ternary Megazord 1."  
  
"How many Ranger's do we have?"  
  
"Just me, Bronze and Platinum Ranger's, and you," Silver Ranger replies, "the Green Morpher was melted down and was made into several Power Coins to fight another enemy since its true power could not be accessed and the other two Morphers are at unknown locations since they are not emitting any power whatsoever."  
  
"Well then, lets go help our teammates," Aqua Ranger says. The Silver Armored Warrior Zord vanishes in a flash of silver light as it teleports away.  
  
The Bronze Warrior Zord crashes into another building as the Hitotsu-Me Giant tosses both Warrior Zords around like rag dolls.  
  
"This guy is too strong!" Platinum Ranger cries as she is knocked into the sky, "we need some help?"  
  
"Did somebody ask for help?" Silver Ranger asks over the comm. unit.  
  
"What took you?" Bronze Ranger asks, "and where are you?"  
  
"Behind you," Silver Ranger says, "Armor Blade Strike!"  
  
A wave of energy flies over the Bronze Warrior Zord and hits the Hitotsu-Me Giant. As the smoke from the explosion clears, the Hitotsu-Me Giant is unscathed.  
  
"Um, I think we're in trouble," a new voice says.  
  
"Who is that?" Platinum Ranger asks, "and what happened to your Zord?"  
  
"The Aqua Ranger," Silver Ranger replies, "and this is the Silver Armored Warrior Zord. The Aqua Golem Zord can form a suit of armor for any humanoid Zord."  
  
"That's great!" Platinum Ranger says, "that should really boost our arsenal."  
  
"But how do we use it?" Silver Ranger asks, "the Binary Zord 1 is as strong as the Silver Armored Warrior Zord."  
  
"We should try the Ternary Megazord 1," Aqua Ranger suggests, "Silver Armored Warrior Zord, detach!"  
  
The Armor separates from the Silver Warrior Zord and reforms into the Aqua Golem Zord. The Silver, Bronze, and Platinum Warrior Zords revert to the Silver Dragon, Bronze Griffin, and Platinum Winged Unicorn Zords.  
  
"Begin Ternary Megazord 1 transformation!" Silver Ranger commands.  
  
"Right!" Bronze and Platinum Ranger reply in unison.  
  
The Bronze Griffin Zord changes, forming legs similar to those like the Binary Zord 1. The Silver Dragon Zord shifts, the wings folding over the front of its body. The legs pull in, as do the arms. The head folds over the chest and pushes into the chest, forming a sort of armor. The Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord splits down the middle. The legs come together to form a pair of arms. The wings fold over upon themselves until they are simple protrusions. The Silver Dragon Saber, the Bronze Griffin Battle Axe, and the Platinum Winged Unicorn Partisan come together to form the Ternary Lance. The Griffin Battle Axe and the Winged Unicorn Partisan combine at the blades, with the Dragon Saber sliding into a slot on the Griffin Battle Axe to form the point of the lance.  
  
"Ternary MegaZord 1, power up!" Silver, Bronze, and Platinum Ranger's say in unison.  
  
The Hitotsu-Me Giant grapples with the Ternary MegaZord 1. The Ternary Megazord 1 puts up its best defense, but the Hitotsu-Me Giant is too strong. The Ternary MegaZord 1 is thrown into a nearby skyscraper.  
  
"This guy is tough," Silver Ranger says as they bring the Ternary Megazord 1 back to its feet, "we gotta figure out how to pilot this thing!"  
  
"It seems similar to the Binary Zord," Platinum Ranger observes, "who should take control of movements?"  
  
"What are the other two jobs?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Energy modulation and navigation," Platinum Ranger replies, "energy modulation appears to deal with how energy is spread throughout the Zord. We can put everything in one shot, but the Zord will then be out of power."  
  
Silver Ranger thinks quickly. "Hmm. I have a plan on how to take him down. Platinum, you take care of energy modulation. Bronze, you deal with navigation. I'll control body movement."  
  
"Shouldn't Platinum take care of body movement?" Bronze Ranger asks, "after all, a lance is a lot like her own weapon."  
  
"I'm not inexperienced in weapons like the Ternary Lance," Silver Ranger replies, "remember, I was doing this for nearly a month before either of you came aboard. I trained with various weapons so I could makeshift with whatever was nearby in case Dark Specter caught me unmorphed. I especially trained with other weapons after we discovered that Dark Specter knew what I looked like."  
  
"We don't even know that," Bronze Ranger mutters.  
  
"Still, I can handle fighting with the Ternary Lance," Silver Ranger continues, "now take your positions. Aqua Ranger, prepare for Armor Ternary MegaZord transformation."  
  
"Affirmative," Aqua Ranger replies.  
  
"Armor Ternary MegaZord, activate!" the four Ranger's call out in unison. The Aqua Golem Zord splits into its Armor components and fit around the Ternary MegaZord 1. The Dirks of the Aqua Golem Zord fit onto the hilt of the Dragon Saber portion of the Ternary Lance.  
  
"Armor Ternary MegaZord, power up!" the four Ranger's call out in unison.  
  
The Hitotsu-Me Giant takes a step back in fear, then charges the Armor Ternary MegaZord 1.  
  
The Armor Ternary MegaZord blocks with a single fist and teleports out of the city while still in contact with the Hitotsu-Me Giant.  
  
They appear on the same island that the Silver Ranger beat Divorx on.  
  
"Armor Ternary Lance!" Silver Ranger calls out, summoning the weapon of the Armor Ternary MegaZord.  
  
The Hitotsu-Me Giant growls and throws a punch at the Armor Ternary MegaZord's face. The Armor Ternary MegaZord blocks with the Armor Ternary Lance and throws the Hitosu-Me Giant off-balance.  
  
"Armor Ternary Strike!" Silver Ranger calls out, "half power!"  
  
The Platinum Ranger channels half the energy needed for a full Armor Ternary Strike into the Armor Ternary Lance.  
  
The Armor Ternary MegaZord carves a circle in the air with the tip of its Lance, then performs a trio of slashes: two diagonal and one horizontal.  
  
The attack knocks up a huge cloud of dust that concentrates around the single eye of the Hitotsu-Me Giant.  
  
"Now we can properly execute some hit and run tactics," Silver Ranger explains, "its main weakness is that single eye. Take it out and it is completely blind. I'm willing to bet that its senses of sight and sound are all but non-existent. Now let's whittle this guy down so we can hit him with our maximum power."  
  
"How are we gonna whittle him down?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"How else?" Silver Ranger replies, grinning underneath his helmet, "we hit him until the damage adds up and he can't take any more."  
  
"I'm glad we have such a master strategist for a self-appointed leader," Platinum Ranger says sarcastically.  
  
"Actually," Aqua Ranger says from the comm. unit, "the holder of the Silver Morpher is supposed to be the leader."  
  
"You're saying we have to take this idiot's orders?" Bronze Ranger demands.  
  
"Hey, I'll gladly listen to any ideas you have," Silver Ranger says, "now can we please get back to the business at hand?"  
  
The Armor Ternary MegaZord stabs at the Hitotsu-Me Giant with its Armor Ternary Lance, cutting through the monster's defense fields. It follows up with a strike to the kneecaps and then a punch to the gut that sends the Hitotsu-Me Giant sprawling.  
  
"Wanna say we try to finish this fight?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Giving you full power now," Platinum Ranger says.  
  
The Armor Ternary Lance glows with bronze, aqua, silver, and platinum light as it charges up to its full power.  
  
"Armor Ternary Lance Strike!" The Armor Ternary MegaZord 1 carves a circle in the air with the tip of the Lance. It then slashes to the diagonal down- right and then to the horizontal left. It finishes the strike with an upward slash to the left. A wave of energy that is silver, bronze, platinum, and aqua in color hits the Hitotsu-Me Giant, obliterating it thoroughly.  
  
"Well, that's that," Bronze Ranger says, "lets teleport back to Atlantis and meet our new team member."  
  
With that, they all teleport out in their respective colors.  
  
Upon arriving at Atlantis, the four Ranger's head for the Council to introduce, though it could be reintroduce, the newest Ranger to them.  
  
Upon entering the Council room, the Aqua Ranger kneels before the Elder, Eleanor, and Connerly. "Elder Duncan, Lady Eleanor, and Wizard Connerly. It is good to see you again."  
  
"Do we know you?" Eleanor asks, puzzled.  
  
"Milady, it is I, Gary Drake, the Aqua Warrior of Atlantis."  
  
"Gary?" Connerly asks, stunned, "we thought you were dead."  
  
"No, milady, I simply became one with my Zord," Aqua Ranger replies, then dimorphs in a flash of aqua light. In the place of the Aqua Ranger was a miniature version of the Aqua Golem Zord.  
  
"What the heck?" Platinum Ranger shrieks.  
  
"Wow, you weren't kidding midget," Silver Ranger chuckles, "you really are an adult."  
  
"Hey!" the Aqua Golem Zord Miniature cries out, "don't make fun of me or I'll ram my fist down your throat!"  
  
"Gary, be nice," Eleanor says soothingly, "he was the first to receive the powers of Atlantis."  
  
"And he has taken up this fight against the Dark Specter more seriously than these other two," Jacolby adds.  
  
"Jacolby?" the Aqua Golem Zord Miniature asks in surprise, "what have you been doing since I last saw you?"  
  
"Training the next generation of Atlantis' defenders," Jacolby replies, "though none of them show the promise that you or Jace showed."  
  
"Who is Jace? Or was in this case."  
  
"Well, Platinum Ranger, Jace was the previous holder of the Silver Atlantean Powers," Connerly answers.  
  
"So he was my predecessor," Silver Ranger muses.  
  
"Gary, I think you should meet the new Ranger's," the Elder says, "Ranger's, please demorph introduce yourselves."  
  
In flashes of bronze and platinum light, the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's demorph.  
  
"May I introduce Bethany Black, Bronze Atlantean Ranger," Connerly says, "and this is Holly Replogle, Platinum Atlantean Ranger. And apparently, the Silver Ranger still isn't gonna tell any of his fellow Ranger's his identity or show his face."  
  
"You're right, I'm not," Silver Ranger replies, "now, I gotta go. Its almost suppertime and I'm starving. And, um, Gary? Pardon me if I'm being insulting, but you might wanna think up a new name. You're not exactly human anymore."  
  
"And your point is?" the Aqua Golem Zord Miniature asks.  
  
"Calling you a human name when you're no longer human is just plain creepy," Silver Ranger says solemnly, "I suggest you come up with a nickname until we can either get you a human body."  
  
"What do you suggest?" the Aqua Golem Zord Miniature asks.  
  
"How about Petite?" Silver Ranger suggests. Alex chuckles.  
  
"Um, does it have any special meaning?" the Aqua Golem Zord Miniature asks.  
  
"It means 'small' in French," Alex explains.  
  
"And who might you be?" Petite asks.  
  
"That is Alex," Silver Ranger answers, "he's kinda our support member. We're hoping that an Atlantean Morpher would choose him, so we've already begun training him."  
  
"And if a Morpher doesn't select him?" Petite asks.  
  
"I've been learning Atlantean magic to back then up when they need it," Alex replies.  
  
"And he's been learning an astounding amount for a non-Atlantean," Connerly says with pride, "he is by far one of the quickest students I have ever had."  
  
"You are taking him as a personal apprentice?" Petite asks, astounded, "but you have never taken an apprentice!"  
  
"It is high time I did," Connerly replies, "and I doubt I'll ever come across another apprentice as skilled as Alex has shown to be. He has learned all of the basic magic of Atlantis in only three months."  
  
"Three months?" Petite asks, "that's an incredible amount of time, especially for a non-Atlantean."  
  
"Well, it is time for us to go now," Alex says, "it is dinner time."  
  
"I, of course, will stay here on Atlantis and learn what has happened since I was last conscious," Petite says.  
  
"Of course," Silver Ranger says. In a flash of silver light, he dimorphs and teleports out in that flash without anyone seeing his face.  
  
"How did he do that?" Bethany asks in surprise.  
  
Alex shrugs. "He practices."  
  
With that, Alex teleports home in a flash of white light.  
  
"Well, I hope you like the twentieth century," Bethany tells Petite, "but I gotta get home or I'll be grounded." She teleports home in a flash of bronze light.  
  
"Same here," Holly says, "gotta go." She teleports out in a flash of platinum light.  
  
"So those are the new Atlantean Warriors, huh?" Petite asks.  
  
"No, those are the Atlantean Power Ranger's," the Elder says, "come old friend. Let us fill you in on what has happened since you were last with us."  
  
Well, how did yu like that chapter? Please review and tell me what you think of it. 


	6. Crystal and White, Shining Bright

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in any of its incarnations. Saban owns them, not me. Also, very few of the monsters used thus far are thought up by me. Most of them are property to Konami and are from the Yu Gi Oh! Card Game, though most have also appeared on the show.  
  
~~  
  
Silver Ranger blocks a punch thrown by the Aqua Ranger. He counters with a leg sweep, but the Aqua Ranger jumps over the Silver Ranger's leg and jump kicks the Silver Ranger in the jaw.  
  
"I don't care if he is morphed, that had to hurt," Alex mutters.  
  
Jacolby nods his head in agreement. "Those two have become excellent sparring partners though. Its too bad that the only way anyone can spar with Petite is by being morphed."  
  
"Still, at least Silver Ranger will now spar with someone," Alex mutters, "he's needed a sparring partner and Aqua Ranger is the only one he'll really spar against."  
  
"He is the only one that can properly spar with the Silver Ranger," Jacolby responds, "he's the only one who abandons themselves to the Atlantean Power like the Silver Ranger."  
  
"What exactly is this Atlantean Power?" Alex asks, "I mean, how can a source of power give the Atlantean Rangers knowledge?"  
  
Jacolby grins. "Haven't you ever heard that knowledge is power? When the Atlantean Morphers were created, the previous defenders of Atlantis, who were getting up there in years, passed on their great knowledge into the Morphers and bonded it with the very materials that they were made of."  
  
"Incredible," Holly says, "um, how long have those two been going at it?"  
  
"About twenty, maybe thirty minutes," Jacolby says without taking his eyes off the battle.  
  
At that moment, both the Silver and Aqua Ranger's summon their weapons.  
  
"Hold it!" Jacolby roars, "do not use your weapons! You can seriously hurt one another. Besides, you've been practicing long enough. Silver Ranger, don't you have to go to your graduation?"  
  
"Oh crap!" Silver Ranger says, "I completely forgot. Um, mind zapping me with some magic to clean me up."  
  
"Can do," Connerly says.  
  
"I need to teleport home," Alex says, "I'm going to your graduation to see you graduate, after all."  
  
"Why bother?" Silver Ranger grouses, "I'm not graduating. I didn't pass all my classes."  
  
"No fault but your own," Alex replies.  
  
"And their making the non-graduates stand up instead of blending them in with the rest," Silver Ranger grumbles, "its humiliating."  
  
"You know, that really narrows down who he could be," Holly whispers to Bethany, "there are only a handful of people not graduating from South Side this year. And he's one of them!"  
  
"Do we really wanna find out on our own?" Bethany asks, "I mean, he did say he would reveal his identity to us eventually."  
  
"But I really wanna know who he is," Holly says.  
  
"Let's respect his privacy," Bethany says, "its hard enough working with him as it is. Do you really want to ruin that by breaking his trust and snooping around to find out his identity."  
  
"I guess," Holly sighs.  
  
Silver Ranger teleports home after Connerly zaps him with a spell that cleans him of the sweat and rids him of the fatigue and exhaustion that his spar brought him.  
  
"Well, I better teleport home as well," Alex says, teleporting out in the flash of white light that marked someone without any powers whatsoever.  
  
"Hey, we got a few friends graduating," Bethany says, "lets go."  
  
Holly agrees and the two of them teleport out in flashes of bronze and platinum light.  
  
"Think they're gonna try and figure out the Silver Ranger's identity?" Jacolby asks Connerly idly.  
  
"Maybe, but they were also speaking the truth," Connerly replies.  
  
The graduation went off well. Jesse had been worried that the Dark Specter would try and mess it up since the forces of evil knew his identity. But it went off without a hitch and all he had was a bitter taste in his mouth from the humiliation that the non-graduates had to go through. Who changed the tradition of simply having the non-graduates going up and receiving a blank piece of paper, with only the school faculty, the student, and those that the student chose to tell knowing that they did not graduate?  
  
Now Jesse was on his way to the Project Graduation, a night of supposed fun and merriment, the last the graduates would likely be together as a whole until their class reunion.  
  
As he pulls up into the parking lot of the old West High School, Jesse sent up a silent thank you prayer for not getting lost.  
  
Hours later, they were handing out various prizes. Jesse, since he had not graduated, was not eligible for any of them. This was a matter that stung Jesse greatly. Beside him, Nathan Cooke had gotten an odd gift: two thick metallic discs. One was somewhat clear and the other was snow white. Jesse would have thought nothing of them except for the fact that they looked almost identical to the various Atlantean Morphers. Could these be the two remaining Morphers? Jesse thought it unlikely, but he figured he should run the idea by Connerly so he could run some spells on them from Atlantis.  
  
Jesse watched as Nathan gave the white disc to his friend and guess. Jesse didn't know the guys name, but he figured Alex might since the guy was a junior. Not that it would matter unless the discs were Morphers and they accepted the two young men as their wielders.  
  
A flash of light signaled the arrival of a platoon of Spectrons and a monster. Jesse groaned inwardly. This was not good at all.  
  
The students and teachers all make a run for it. In the commotion, Jesse manages to duck around the other side of the building where no one could see him.  
  
"It's morphing time!" he says softly as he could and still summon the power, "Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
In a flash of silver light, the Silver Atlantean Ranger is standing in Jesse's place.  
  
"Better teleport in," he grumbles, teleporting to the gym in his trademark flash of silver light.  
  
Silver Ranger leaps into the fray and tackles a small group of Spectrons trying to grab some of the girls.  
  
"I'd run if I were you," Silver Ranger advises the girls. The girls nod their head and run while Silver Ranger distracts the Spectrons.  
  
As Silver Ranger expected, every Spectron homed in on him. This must have been a plan to try and trap him and take him out without a fight. Set up a major situation at 4 in the morning, the Silver Ranger is half asleep and a full platoon of Spectrons appear in a populated area. He can't morph or risk blowing his identity. And he would have been trapped if he hadn't been close to the exit.  
  
A flash of aqua light heralds the arrival of the Aqua Ranger.  
  
"Where are the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's?" Aqua Ranger asks as he begins to cut through the Spectrons with his daggers.  
  
"At home in bed asleep, I would imagine," Silver Ranger replies as he snap kicks a Spectron in what passed for its throat, "after all, it is very early in the morning. Most sane people in this time zone are asleep."  
  
"You are not sane?" Aqua Ranger asks, perplexed.  
  
"Nope!" Silver Ranger says, a manic expression on his face underneath his helmet. He summons the Silver Staff and converts it to the Silver Saber and proceeds to cut through the Spectrons. Finally the Aqua and Silver Ranger's are fighting back to back.  
  
The two Ranger's fight off every Spectron that comes within striking distance.  
  
It takes a while, but finally the two Ranger's drive off the Spectrons.  
  
"Is it me, or were they stronger than usual?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Dark Specter used mostly Quantrons when he attacked Atlantis," Aqua Ranger replies, "I never got a chance to fight them. The other Warrior's did, but not me. I was too busy holding off the giant monsters during the attacks that had Spectrons."  
  
"Aqua Ranger, I want you to ask Connerly to start scanning for any signatures that could reveal the last two Morphers," Silver Ranger says, "do an intensive scan of the entire county that I live in."  
  
"May I ask why?" Aqua Ranger asks, puzzled.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think I saw the White Morpher and the other Morpher earlier," Silver Ranger says, "well, I need to be heading home now."  
  
The Silver and Aqua Ranger's teleport out in flashes of aqua and silver light. The Silver Ranger teleports to the top of the high school and looks around below to see if there was anyone in sight. Seeing no one, he jumps down and demorphs and heads back in with the rest of the recent graduates.  
  
Later that day, after his aunt has gone to work, Jesse teleports to Atlantis to discuss what he saw with Connerly.  
  
"Silver Ranger, it is possible that you saw both the Crystal and White Morphers, but the whole situation seems odd," Connerly says. He was still using Jesse's Ranger identity for conversation, even though Jesse was not morphed, at Jesse's request.  
  
Jesse was puzzled. "How so?"  
  
"Well, think about it: five of the six functional Atlantean Morphers turn up in your hometown. And those five are the primary Morphers. Seems a little odd that they would show up in one place. And the Dark Specter does know your identity, as well as what the Morphers look like. He could very well be trying to lead you into a trap."  
  
"You have a point," Jesse says, "is there any way to know for sure that these are the Atlantean Morphers?"  
  
"Well, we could try teleporting them here," Connerly says, "do it in their sleep. I can cast a spell on them to keep them asleep. We then just examine the supposed Morphers for any Atlantean magic. It is impossible for the Dark Specter to fake Atlantean magic, and the only real practitioner of Atlantean magic outside of Limbo is your friend Alex. It's as simple as that."  
  
"We should talk with the rest of the team about this," Petite says.  
  
"Agreed," Jesse says, "contact them in about three hours. I'm heading back home to get at least some sleep."  
  
"Be careful," Petite says, "Dark Specter could try sending down a monster. If he found you at that gathering of peers, he likely followed you home. So he probably knows where you live now."  
  
"Alex has put up warding spells of the fifth level around my house," Jesse says, "he already thought of that. He'll put up warding spells when we have reason to believe that the Dark Specter knows of Bethany and Holly's identities, not to mention his own."  
  
"We have a good thing going here," Petite says, "Dark Specter does not know the identities of the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's.  
  
"You know, its getting to be uncomfortable staying morphed whenever they are here at Atlantis when I am here as well," Jesse says thoughtfully, "I know they can recognize me as I am. They just have to look at the yearbook if they see someone who seems remotely familiar. Connerly, do you think you can eliminate and regrow facial hair at a whim?"  
  
"Easily," Connerly says.  
  
"Then I think I have a disguise," Jesse says with a grin, "all I need is a ready-made spell, maybe an item that holds the spell so it can be used multiple times, and then I can just use it to help them train outside of being morphed."  
  
"You'll need a name," Jacolby says, "and you'll need to belong to a Clan. I can tell you that the Clan Atalantari would be glad to have you."  
  
"What about a first name though?" Petite asks, "Clan names make up the surname."  
  
"How about Jacob?" Jesse asks, "it's a name that no one except Alex can associate with me."  
  
"How can he associate Jacob with you?" Connerly asks.  
  
"It's a name I give myself online for an evil alter-ego," Jesse replies, "I've gone as far as giving the name a personality. It is much like my own, only twisted and dark."  
  
"That's- disturbing," Jacolby says hesitantly.  
  
"Well, when I don't want to use my own name that is the name I use," Jesse replies, "and it'll throw them off when coupled with the disguise."  
  
"Let me work on this disguise a while and then you can start training with the other Ranger's while unmorphed and not having to wear a costume," Connerly says.  
  
"Good, because the mask on that last costume restricted my breathing a little," Jesse chuckles, "well, time for me to get some shut-eye. See ya later."  
  
With that, Jesse teleports out in a flash of silver light to get some sleep.  
  
A few hours later, all of the Atlantean Ranger's, including the morphed Silver Ranger and Alex, gather at Atlantis to determine if the last two Atlantean Morphers had been found.  
  
"But we'll have to wait until tonight for them to go to sleep," Bethany protests.  
  
"That's where you're wrong," Silver Ranger says, "they were up all night, same as me. The only reason why I'm not dead asleep right now is because of the energy that's flowing through me due to my morphed state. Trust me, they are asleep. We checked and Connerly has cast a spell on them to make sure they stay asleep while we are checking the supposed Morphers."  
  
"Then lets get this over with," Alex says.  
  
"Agreed," Connerly says and he makes a pass with his right hand. Nathan Cooke and his friend appear on a pair of beds that were present.  
  
"Hey, this is Benjamin Clark!" Bethany gasps in surprise, "he's in some of my classes."  
  
"He's in one of mine as well," Holly says.  
  
"He's in the same grade as us," Alex says, "we've known him for years, remember?"  
  
"Yeah," Holly agrees.  
  
"Connerly, do they have the supposed Morphers on them?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"They are in the guise of their belt buckles," Connerly says.  
  
"Just like my Morpher was!" Holly exclaims.  
  
"Precisely," Connerly says.  
  
"Are they Atlantean Morphers?" Alex asks.  
  
"They are," Connerly says, "and they have bonded with these two young men. They have both been chosen to be Atlantean Rangers by the Morphers."  
  
"So we have two more teammates," Silver Ranger muses.  
  
"Maybe now you'll reveal your identity to us," Bethany says.  
  
"Nope," Silver Ranger muses, "you guys can handle explaining this. I've gotta go home and get some much needed sleep. I've only had three hours of it, after all."  
  
"I'm surprised he got that much," Alex mutters to himself, "pleasant dreams, dude."  
  
"Thanks," Silver Ranger says before teleporting home.  
  
"So, how are we gonna go about this?" Bethany asks.  
  
"We could wait until we actually need them in a battle," Holly offers.  
  
"No way," Alex says, "that's way too risky. We should wait until they wake up and then explain everything. If we go ahead and start training them, then we'll have an edge. Dark Specter won't be expecting the last two Ranger's showing up just yet. And if they can handle their powers, then that's another plus for us."  
  
"What do you think Connerly?" Holly asks.  
  
"Alex is right," Connerly says, "we need every edge we can get since you cannot access the full Power of the Atlantean Morphers. Since you are unable to morph into the Atlantean Warrior's, you must use whatever you can to gain the upper hand. Luckily, we have the edge already in many ways. Because of the numerous victories by the many teams of Power Ranger's, those who fight for evil are weakened by the wayward essences of defeated monsters. Especially the Org's that attack Turtle Cove and the demon's who attacked Mariner Bay."  
  
"What about the, what are they called? Mutants, that attack Silver Hills?" Holly asks.  
  
"Those are frozen, not destroyed," Connerly replies.  
  
"What about the servants of the Machine Empire who attacked Angel Grove years ago?" Bethany asks.  
  
"As robot's, they did not exactly possess life essences, since machine's are usually not alive," Jacolby answers.  
  
"What do you mean, usually?" Alex asks.  
  
"The Wild Zords of the Wild Force Power Ranger's and your own Atlantean Zords have souls," Connerly explains, "the Galactabeasts of the Lost Galaxy Power Ranger's were living creatures that were transformed with the Transdaggers, so they had souls."  
  
"And all of the other Zord's?" Bethany asks.  
  
"The Zord's of the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger's might have had souls, but we're not quite sure," Connerly replies, "as for the rest, they only had limited artificial intelligence. The Astro Megazord, Delta Megazord, Mega Winger, and Mega Vehicles were all actually spaceships of some sort that either transformed into a Megazord or combined to form a Megazord."  
  
"How long will these two be out?" Alex asks, gesturing at Ben and Nathan.  
  
"After I remove the sleeping spell, however long they would have been asleep for anyway," Connerly replies.  
  
"Remove the spell and alert us when they wake up," Alex says, "we're gonna practice those new maneuver's you've assigned us."  
  
"Good," Connerly says, removing the spell with a wave of his hand. The three Ranger's and ally head for the training hall to practice.  
  
When Jesse gets home, he quickly changes into an Atlantean gi that Connerly had given him. It was vibrant silver with jet-black trim. He shaves all of his facial hair off and then burns what was left away with one of the rudimentary spells he had managed to learn. That taken care of, he teleports to Atlantis to begin his ruse.  
  
Upon arriving at the training hall, they are greeted by a stranger. He stood about 5' 10", with finely combed dark brown hair that was slightly glistening with sweat. His vibrant blue-green eyes sparkled with mischief. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a standard Atlantean training gi.  
  
"Greetings," the stranger says with a bow. His voice was low, with a tone of near-indifference in it. "My name is Jacob and I am of the Clan Atalantari. I am to help Jacolby train you. I am more at your level than he is, so you have a fairly good chance at beating me. I warn you, however, that my experience surpasses yours. I have been an apprentice of his for some time now."  
  
Alex's eyes widen in surprise as he recognizes the voice, as well as the stranger himself. It was definitely Jesse, but he was trying to be someone else. And Alex knew why. Jesse knew that he couldn't train with the other Ranger's morphed all the time and he couldn't keep up with outfits that hid his face because they also muffled his senses slightly. But a disguise like this was easy to work until he decided to just reveal his identity to the other Rangers.  
  
Bethany's voice breaks Alex's musing. "I hope that we can measure up against you. We haven't been doing this long."  
  
"But you have done exceedingly well," 'Jacob' says, "you have defeated some of the strongest forces that the Dark Specter can send against you with ingenuity and grace. You are doing well. And it works in your favor that you two ladies knew each other and were friends before assuming the Power of the Morphers. This has helped you form the bond of teamwork much faster."  
  
"I wish the Silver Ranger would work as a team player," Bethany grumbles.  
  
"Leave him be," Petite says, "in some ways he reminds me of the previous holder of the Silver Morpher. Jace was distant to the rest of us. Partially because he wasn't an Atllantean yet had the uncanny ability to wield the full Power of the Silver Morpher. Because we Atlanteans had a disdain for those who were not Atlantean, he was isolated for some time. But that changed when he fully assumed the mantle of leadership "  
  
"Who is our leader?" Bethany asks.  
  
"The Silver Ranger," Petite replies, "it's the customary position of the one who wields the Silver Morpher. The one who bears the Green Morpher is in command when no one capable of wielding the Silver Morpher can be found. And then I, the Aqua Ranger, am next in the chain of command."  
  
"You mean the Silver Ranger is supposed to be our team leader?" Holly asks skeptically, "he doesn't even function as part of this team!"  
  
"Give him time," Petite replies, "now lets get some training in while we wait for our two new Ranger's to wake up."  
  
"Two new Ranger's?" 'Jacob' asks.  
  
"We've just discovered the Crystal and White Morphers," Holly explains, "the young men who possess them are asleep from a party they went to last night."  
  
"And you're just gonna introduce them to Atlantis when they wake up?" 'Jacob' asks, "you realize that they'll probably think its all a dream or hallucination. You should wait till later."  
  
"Can't afford to do that," Alex says, "we need every advantage we can get right now. The Dark Specter knows the identity of the Silver Ranger, but not the Bronze or Platinum Ranger's. Now all we need is for our two friends to take on the responsibility of being the Crystal and White Ranger's."  
  
"Think they'll do it?" 'Jacob' asks.  
  
"Hope so," Petite says, "do you mind sparring with me, Jacob?"  
  
"No problem," 'Jacob' replies, "I look forward to a good workout."  
  
'Jacob' and Petite move to one side of the gym and begin a light spar. Bethany and Holly go through an elementary Atlantean kata. Alex meditates, focusing his magical energies into a small display of swirling lights.  
  
As the group goes through their workout, 'Jacob' is able to more successfully compare his skill to the others. They were definitely picking up on the fighting styles of Atlantis without the help of their Morphers while he still had to rely on the Silver Morpher just to keep up. But the power of the Silver Morpher flowed into his mind with ease, enabling him to call on its knowledge with relative ease.  
  
"You are quite skilled, Jacob," Petite observes as he blocks a kick, "you would make a fine Ranger."  
  
"You flatter me," 'Jacob' says, "Jacolby says I have a long way to go before I am a true master."  
  
After everyone had been working out for a few hours, Connerly's magic- enhanced voice resounds through the gym. "Attention everyone, our guests will be waking up in a couple of moments. I have currently cast a sleeping spell on them so they will stay asleep until you arrive. Please report to the Council room to greet our guests. I will contact the Silver Ranger."  
  
The group quickly cleans up and heads for the Council hall. 'Jacob' cleans up, morphs, then teleports to the Council hall.  
  
"Glad you responded quickly," Connerly says as the other Ranger's and Alex arrive, "they are about to awaken."  
  
At that, Nathan opens his eyes and sits up.  
  
"Where am I?" he asks groggily. Ben groans as he too awakens.  
  
"Hey, this isn't my room," he says sleepily.  
  
"Welcome, friends, to Atlantis," the Elder says.  
  
"Huh?" Ben says as he wipes sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Firs thing, you are not dreaming," Silver Ranger says, deepening his voice a little in case Nathan by chance recognized it, "second, wake up."  
  
"I am awake," Nathan says groggily, "hey, wait a minute, you're a Power Ranger!"  
  
"Correction, four of us here are Power Rangers," Holly says, "though one of us is a stuck-up prude who doesn't want anyone to know who they are. Our enemy, the Dark Specter, knows what he looks like."  
  
"I know what he looks like," Petite says, "I just don't know his name."  
  
"What?" Bethany cries out, "you mean to say you know what the Silver Ranger looks like behind the helmet?"  
  
"I have no reason to hide what I look like to him, and this helmet can get pretty stuffy," Silver Ranger says, "but he still doesn't know my name so he doesn't accidentally call me by it in your presence. If you either knew my name or what I looked like, you'd be able to find out quite a bit about me."  
  
"Anyway, why are we here?" Ben asks.  
  
"At the party you were at last night, you received the final two Morphers of Atlantis," Connerly says, "the Crystal and White Morphers."  
  
"What are Morphers?" Nathan asks.  
  
"They are our transformation devices," Holly explains as she pulls out her Platinum Morpher, "they allow us to become the Atlantean Ranger's."  
  
"So you mean we can become Power Ranger's?" Ben asks.  
  
"If you so desire," Connerly says, "the Morphers have bonded with you, meaning they have decided that you are worthy to wield their awesome power."  
  
"But we can choose not to risk our lives, right?" Ben asks.  
  
"Yes, that is your choice," Connerly says, "but if you choose not to help, you will be required to hand the Morphers over to us so we can find someone willing to help."  
  
"I'm in," Nathan says, "I was planning on joining the army anyways, so why not join an elite fighting force that can make more of a difference than the entire United States Armed Forces?"  
  
"Then Nathan Cooke, you shall be the Crystal Ranger," the Elder says, "you will wield the Crystal Cutlass in battle and when the situation arises, you will pilot the Crystal Chimera Zord of Atlantis."  
  
"Totally cool," Nathan says as the Morpher on his belt buckle shimmers and takes on its true form, then fades away into null-space where Nathan could summon it whenever he wanted.  
  
"Does anything else happen if I choose not to join up?" Ben asks.  
  
"We will have to alter your memories so you will not be a risk to our security," Connerly says, "right now, the Dark Specter only thinks that the Atlantean Ranger's are simply those whom the Morphers have chosen and are fighting him with the knowledge that the Morphers give them. If he discovers that Atlantis still exists, he will destroy the Earth instantly rather than risk we arise and are able to bring our complete firepower on him. The Atlantean Warriors are merely our best weapon, not our only one."  
  
"I'm in," Ben says, "I've always wanted to make a difference."  
  
"Then you shall become the White Atlantean Ranger," Eleanor says, "you will wield the White Warhammer in battle and pilot the White Gargoyle Zord of Atlantis."  
  
The Morpher on Ben's belt buckle shifts into its true form, then goes into null-space where Ben could call it forth whenever he wanted to.  
  
"So, who are our teammates?" Nathan asks.  
  
"As you can see, I am the Silver Ranger," the Silver Ranger says, "I was the first Atlantean Ranger to appear, and apparently I'm at the top of the Ranger chain of command. Wish I wasn't. Now, I'm going back home to get some sleep."  
  
With that, the Silver Ranger teleports out, but not to home. Instead, he heads for the gym and changes into the persona of Jacob, preparing for the others to bring in with the new recruits.  
  
"Hospitable, isn't he?" Ben remarks.  
  
"That's just because you don't know him," Alex says, "once you get to know him, he's a real nice guy. A little eccentric at times, but a nice guy."  
  
"Hey, you're Alex Green," Ben says, recognizing Alex, "from school."  
  
"I was with the Silver Ranger when he was first teleported here," Alex says, "and ever since then I've been helping him however I can. We were hoping that one of the Atlantean Morphers would choose me, but that is not to be now. Still, I will still help out however needed. I am learning Atlantean magic to defend myself with."  
  
"And he is quite proficient at it," Connerly says, "I am Connerly, head of the School of Magic of Atlantis, and the most powerful wizard in all of Atlantis. I will instruct you in mental disciplines."  
  
"I am Eleanor, head of the Education system of Atlantis," Eleanor says, "as well as leader of the nobility."  
  
"And this is the Elder of Atlantis," Alex says, introducing the elderly man, "he is pretty much the ruler of Atlantis. He heads the Council and guides Atlantis."  
  
"It is good that the final two Atlantean Morphers have been located," the Elder says, "make good use of them."  
  
"We will sir," Nathan says.  
  
"Hi, you probably already know me," Bethany says, "I'm Bethany Black. We have some classes together. I'm the Bronze Ranger."  
  
Nathan grins. "I remember you from English III. You're pretty smart."  
  
Bethany blushes at the comment, but says nothing else.  
  
"I'm Holly Replogle, the Platinum Ranger," Holly says.  
  
"Hey, you're a cheerleader, aren't you?" Ben says, "I've seen you at some of the football games."  
  
"I am Jacolby, " Jacolby interrupts, "I am to be your teacher in the fighting arts. The Morphers do supply you with a great deal of fighting knowledge, but it's better safe than sorry. It is possible to interrupt the link between a Ranger and its Morpher."  
  
"Okay," Ben says, "when do we start?"  
  
"Unless you had anything else to do today, you will start immediately," Jacolby says.  
  
"Sounds good to me," Nathan says, "I my summer job doesn't start for a couple more weeks."  
  
"You know, that is gonna be a problem sooner or later," Alex says, "some of us have jobs or will have jobs eventually. If you leave early, you'll get fired and your parents will want to know why you left early. Not good at all."  
  
"And if we quit, they'll want to know why," Ben says.  
  
"Big problem," Bethany agrees, "what will we do about it?"  
  
"Well, Petite will always be ready, as he is a resident of Atlantis," Alex says, "the Silver Ranger does not have a job yet. There will be some problems in about a month, but after that things will be peachy. Oh, Petite is the Aqua Ranger."  
  
"Hello," Petite says.  
  
"Hi," Ben replies, "are you a robot or something?"  
  
"Sorta," Petite answers, "but everything will be explained later. But I am the Aqua Ranger."  
  
"Well, the Silver and Aqua Ranger's will be ready 24/7," Alex says, "I believe the Silver Ranger has been surviving on less than five hours sleep a night for years now, and now that its summer he'll sleep in a lot. Though I don't know how becoming the Silver Ranger will affect everything."  
  
"We'll think about that later," Jacolby barks, "for now, I'm putting you through the ringer."  
  
"Will Jacob be helping?" Holly asks.  
  
Jacolby almost says that he doesn't know anyone named Jacob who would be helping, but then he remembers that Jesse had said he would be using the name Jacob. He hadn't realized that he had already started using the deception.  
  
"Yes, he will be helping you out," Jacolby answers, "he will be working with you two and maybe Petite. Alex, you will help me instruct Ben and Nathan."  
  
"Okay," Alex says, "the sooner we get the two of you used to Morphing, the better prepared you'll be for when the Dark Specter attacks next. But first, you must discover how to activate your Morphers. That is the final step in claiming the power of Atlantis."  
  
"Just read the inscription on your Morphers," Holly explains, "normal people wouldn't be able to understand, since it is written in Atlantean, but your Morphers have picked you so you will at least be able to read what they say."  
  
Nathan and Ben both read the inscriptions on their respective Morphers. Ben speaks first.  
  
"If ye be of a noble and true heart with a just cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in sequence: Crystal, White, Aqua, Silver, Bronze, and Platinum. If your cause if not pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."  
  
Nathan speaks next.  
  
"If ye be of a noble heart and strong will with a just cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in sequence: White, Aqua, Silver, Bronze, Platinum, and Crystal. If your cause is nor pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."  
  
"Is it really that simple?" Ben asks.  
  
"It is indeed," Holly replies, "once you Morph, you'll be able to access the knowledge within the Morphers."  
  
"Feel the presence within the Morphers, then do what seems right," Connerly says, "the rest is up to you and what you hold inside."  
  
Ben and Nathan close their eyes and search their hearts. When they find what they are looking for, they both call out, "It's Morphin time!"  
  
Nathan presses the buttons on his Morpher in the following order: crystal, white, aqua, silver, bronze, and platinum. In a flash of pure light, the Crystal Atlantean Ranger is standing where Nathan was just a moment ago.  
  
The Crystal Ranger's uniform was identical to the other Atlantean Ranger's except for the Silver Rangers' uniforms except for his helmet, which was designed to look like a gargoyle. The entire uniform was a light sapphire blue in color. The shield was semi-clear, like a crystal. All in all, he looked awe-inspiring.  
  
Ben presses the buttons on his Morpher in the following order: white, aqua, silver, bronze, platinum, and crystal. In a flash of white light, the White Atlantean Ranger is standing where Ben was just a moment ago.  
  
The White Ranger's uniform was just like all of the other Atlantean Rangers' uniforms except for the Silver Ranger's. The only difference was that his uniform was almost a pure white. And the helmet was different as well. It looked like a lion's head, somewhat reminiscent of the Red Lost Galaxy Power Ranger with the fangs like those of the Red Wild Force Power Ranger. The shield was a metallic white. All in all, he looked formidable.  
  
"Totally cool," White Ranger says as he checks out his costume.  
  
"I'll say," Crystal Ranger says as he checks out costume, "these outfits are totally cool."  
  
"They do indeed look great," Connerly says, "now, demorph and go and begin your training. We have no idea how much time we have until the Dark Specter's next attack. Or where he will strike. Unlike previous villains, he will attack anywhere. And he will attack not just attack the Earth. You have a responsibility to fight him anywhere."  
  
"Let's just hope he doesn't figure that out," Bethany says as the White and Crystal Ranger's demorph, "but once he attacks another planet, that secret is out."  
  
"He can't be that smart, can he?" Ben asks.  
  
"He's the one who was behind the Alliance of Evil almost taking over the entire universe," Alex says, "Ranger teams and countless other heroes were brought to their knees in facing him. Even the Power Rangers who have defended Earth in the past were no match for his forces. They lost all of their Zords, including one of the most powerful MegaZords in the universe, the Voyager MegaZord. Only a handful were more powerful. The Dark Specter is one of, if not the most evil being the universe has ever seen. He is the single most powerful. Of that we are sure."  
  
"Well, if he's that powerful alone then we're just gonna have to be a team then and rely on each other's strength, aren't we?" Nathan asks.  
  
"Precisely," Holly agrees, "now if only we could get that through the Silver Ranger's thick skull."  
  
"Enough about our worthless leader," Bethany growls, "we need to show these two rookies the ropes."  
  
"Rookies!" Nathan exclaims.  
  
"Yes, you two are rookies," Bethany grins, "you have yet to fight a single battle."  
  
"And you won't as long as we don't need you," Holly adds, "that way we can keep you a secret for as long as possible."  
  
"All the while the rest of you will be gaining more and more battle experience, learning how to use your powers even better," Ben says angrily.  
  
"And everything we learn we'll teach you," Petite assures Ben and Nathan, "and if the Silver Ranger decides to help you, then you'll really learn a lot. He's the most experienced Ranger on the team, next to myself. He's spent every waking moment trying to figure out new abilities of the Ranger powers of the Atlantean Morphers."  
  
"But the Silver Ranger was the first to appear, wasn't he?" Ben asks, "how can you be the most experienced Ranger on the team if he appeared first?"  
  
"It's a long story," Holly says, "one which we will tell you later."  
  
The group heads for the gymnasium.  
  
"You know, it's too bad that the only good gym in Jackson requires a membership," Nathan says.  
  
"The equipment and training regimen here is better anyway," Holly says, "after all, the Atlanteans can conjure just about anything with magic, and what they can't conjure the blacksmiths can usually make."  
  
Nathan and Ben both whistle in amazement as they walk into the gym and see the equipment before their eyes.  
  
Jesse, in his disguise as Jacob, was already working out by beating the stuffing out of a punching bag.  
  
"Who's that?" Nathan asks.  
  
"That's Jacob," Holly replies, "he's new. He's one of Jacolby's students. He's good."  
  
"Doesn't look all that strong to me," Ben says skeptically.  
  
"It's not his physical strength that makes him good," Petite says, "it's his mastery over the Atlantean martial arts. He's an incredibly skilled combatant."  
  
"So, where do we start?" Nathan asks.  
  
"We'll start by teaching the two of you the basic kata," Jacolby says gruffly, "once you master that, then we'll go on to the more advanced kata's."  
  
Fairly soon both Ben and Nathan are going through the kata's Jacolby gives them while Alex and Jacob spar.  
  
A few days later, all of the Atlantean Ranger's except for Jesse are doing some basic workouts in the gym when they are called to the Council Hall. Jacob wasn't anywhere to be seen either. Alex was with his church youth group, which was where Jesse was as well, though Bethany, Holly, Ben, and Nathan did not know this.  
  
"What is it, Elder?" Nathan asks.  
  
"The Dark Specter has imbued some lava with magic and it has come to life," Connerly says, "Bethany, Petite, and Holly, you three will go and fight this monster. We will try and contact the Silver Ranger."  
  
"What about me and Nathan?" Ben asks.  
  
"You two will hold back and stay here," Connerly says, "we will try and hold the two of you back as long as possible. We need every secret and surprise we can muster."  
  
"Understood," Nathan says sullenly.  
  
"Don't worry," Bethany says, "the longer we're able to keep you under wraps, the better you'll be when you finally do see some action."  
  
"Nothing beats on-the-job training when it comes to something this important," Ben says.  
  
"We don't want to give the Dark Specter a reason to send down a whole horde of monsters at once," Holly says, "the Silver Ranger alone is almost enough of a reason for that due to the amount of power he has. I'm surprised he hasn't already sent down a horde of monsters with just the four of us on call. If he finds out that there are six of us, who knows what he'll do?"  
  
"We'll talk later," Petite says, summoning his Morpher, "right now, we gotta stop that monster. It's morphin' time! Aqua Power of Atlantis!"  
  
Bethany pulls out her Morpher. "Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
Holly pulls out her Morpher. "Platinum Power or Atlantis!"  
  
The three Ranger's teleport out in streams of aqua, platinum, and bronze light.  
  
The Flame Ghost wasn't a very bright monster. It wasn't a very strong monster, either. In fact, it wasn't much of a monster at all. And the Dark Specter knew this. He could create vast armies of monsters just below the abilities of the Atlantean Ranger's without limit and wear them out as long as there were only four of them. He would have to up their power if another Morpher appeared. But for now, he could create monster after monster without draining his own reserves of magical energy.  
  
All in all, the Flame Ghost should give the Atlantean Ranger's some problems but not destroy them. Though he wouldn't be upset if one was destroyed. The way humans had become since the fall of Atlantis left him surprised that there were any capable of using such potent powers of good. Zordon himself probably couldn't have found people not only worthy of the immense power of the Atlantean Morphers, but also people who could withstand the amount of power coursing through their veins. The Atlantean Ranger's apparently thought that he did not know the identities of any of the other Ranger's. He saw the girl become the Platinum Atlantean Ranger and he saw the other girl become the Bronze Atlantean Ranger. He still did not know who the Aqua Atlantean Ranger was, and why he didn't was a mystery even to the Dark Specter. It was possible that he had been a homeless person or maybe had faked his death to be on call at all hours of the day.  
  
But the Dark Specter still didn't know why he couldn't locate their base. Zordon's Power Chamber was still demolished from when that worthless Divatox had managed to destroy it. The Animarium was home only to the Wild Force Power Rangers. The Lightspeed Aquabase of the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers was still in shambles from when the demons overran it. They weren't staying with the Galaxy Ranger's on Mirinoi. The location of their base, as well, as how they could keep it hidden, remained a mystery to the Dark Specter. Not that it mattered. He was confident that he would find it and destroy it, just as he would destroy all who opposed him and those who had betrayed him. He would hunt down the former Princess of Evil, Astronema, and destroy her. He would hunt down her brother, the Red Astro Ranger, and destroy him. He would destroy everyone who had ever held the mantle of Power Ranger. But he would do it at his own leisure. He would wait until the Atlantean Ranger's were destroyed. They were the only worthy foes that he had.  
  
The Dark Specter watches as three of the four Atlantean Ranger's appear to fight his Flame Ghost. They were putting up a pretty good fight. But the Dark Specter had made the strength of the Flame Ghost beyond that of any three Atlantean Rangers. It would require all four of the Atlantean Rangers to destroy him.  
  
So where was the Silver Ranger? He was usually the first in battle.  
  
Jesse was, in fact, in a battle. A battle of wits, to be exact. And so far it was an even battle.  
  
"And I say you need to get your eyes examined!" Katie, Alex's little sister, says.  
  
"I wear glasses," Jesse replies blandly, "of course I need to get my eyes examined."  
  
"I am this close to slapping you," Katie says hotly.  
  
"Then why don't you?" Jesse asks. He didn't care if Katie slapped him. Divorx had given him worse in their fight, and he could always duck.  
  
"Don't try me," Katie says.  
  
"Fine," Jesse says, "but I'm leaving. I may be crazy, insane, and stupid, but at least I know where I'm not liked and know when I'm not welcome by the people."  
  
And with that, Jesse turns around and heads out of the youth room, the other youth members just stare in shock at Jesse's choice of words. Alex just shakes his head and makes a mental note to have Jesse talk to the Elder or someone else he respected but could trust with his secrets. The Elder, Connerly, and maybe Jacolby were likely candidates for such a conversation.  
  
With a sigh, Alex turns his attention to the blooming conversation: what in the world had put made Jesse so hotheaded as of late. And that was an excellent question.  
  
As Jesse was getting in his car to go home, his communicator beeps.  
  
"Silver Ranger here," he responds, "go ahead."  
  
"Silver Ranger, morph and head to the location of the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Atlantean Rangers to help them," Jacolby answers from the communicator, "they are in desperate need of your help."  
  
"Got it," Jesse replies, then closes the communication channel and after checking to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, he steps out of his car and summons his Morpher.  
  
"It's morphin' time! Silver Power of Atlantis!" In a flash of silver light, the Silver Atlantean Ranger stands where Jesse just was only for a few seconds before teleporting out.  
  
The Flame Ghost punches the Bronze Ranger in the gut and follows it up with an upper cut to the head that sends the Bronze Ranger flying.  
  
Platinum Ranger leaps in and slashes the Flame Ghost repeatedly in the back with her Platinum Partisan and cuts deeply into the Flame Ghost's back. The Flame Ghost roars in pain and delivers a vicious backhand to Platinum Ranger that sends her flying into a wall.  
  
Aqua Ranger tries to stab the Flame Ghost in where its kidneys would have been if it had any with his Aqua Double Dirks, but the Flame Ghost performs a spinning back kick that sends Aqua Ranger flying into a lamppost.  
  
The Flame Ghost stands over Platinum Ranger and prepares to slam its massive fist down on her. Such a blow would easily crush the Platinum Ranger.  
  
But luckily, it was not to be. A blast of silver energy hits the Flame Ghost in the back, startling it. The Flame Ghost turns around to see the Silver Ranger holding his Silver Staff, the tip of it still crackling with energy. With a roar, the Flame Ghost charges the Silver Ranger, who simply ducks and dodges to avoid the blows.  
  
"Get up!" Silver Ranger bellows as he ducks another powerful punch, "any two of you are stronger than I am alone. If you think I can beat him alone, then you're delusional! I need help here!"  
  
Before he could say another word, the Flame Ghost finally lands a punch. The punch drives the air out of his lungs.  
  
The other three Atlantean Ranger's draw their Blade Blasters and open fire on the Flame Ghost to try and distract him. And surprisingly, it works. The Flame Ghost charges at the three Rangers and knocks them aside. He is then immediately upon the Aqua Ranger, throttling him viciously.  
  
"This thing has a mean streak," Silver Ranger observes, "and its hotheaded. That gives me an idea. Bronze Ranger! Platinum Ranger! Prepare to fire your Blade Blasters at the base of its neck on my signal." The Silver Ranger changes the Silver staff into the Silver Saber.  
  
The Bronze and Platinum Rangers ready their Blade Blasters and fire. The energy beams hit the base of the Flame Ghosts neck at the same time. The Flame Ghost turns around, only to catch a glimpse of the Silver Ranger as he brings the Silver Saber crashing down on the Flame Ghosts head, cleaving the head down the center. Silver Ranger steps away from the Flame Ghost and moves to help the other Rangers to their feet.  
  
But the Flame Ghost was not done yet. With a silent melding, its head becomes one once again. He ruthlessly attacks the unguarded Silver Ranger, knocking him about like a rag doll and rendering him unconscious. Platinum Ranger struggles to her feet, digging the point of the Platinum Partisan into the ground to help her regain her balance. He weakly draws her Blade Blaster and fires it at the Flame Ghost, hitting it in the back.  
  
The Flame Ghost turns around, its attention now focused solely on the Platinum Ranger. It charges in, driving a massive fist into Platinum Ranger's stomach, then grabbing her by the throat and tossing her aside. Two more energy blasts from Blade Blasters hit the Flame Ghost, this time from the Aqua and Bronze Ranger's. The two keep their distance, continually firing at the flame Ghost in hopes of wearing it down.  
  
'This thing is way too strong,' Platinum Ranger realizes as she gets back to her feet, 'we need more firepower than the Blade Blasters have. Maybe we should call Ben and Nathan in to help.'  
  
"Guys, I think we're in over our heads," Platinum Ranger says when she gets back on her feet, "we need help."  
  
"We can take him," Aqua Ranger says confidently.  
  
"We don't have the firepower, even with the Silver Ranger," Platinum Ranger responds, "and he's unconscious right now."  
  
Aqua Ranger holsters his Blade Blaster. "Then we'll use our Power Staffs. Our Power Weapons have more power than anything else that is available in our arsenal. They have great physical power in their Weapon forms, but in their Staff forms, they have incredible projectile power."  
  
Both Aqua Ranger and Bronze Ranger summon their Power Staffs. Platinum Ranger does the same.  
  
"Focus your power through your Staff and unleash it!" Aqua Ranger commands, "Silver Ranger should be conscious in a moment. When he wakes up, he'll add his power to ours and we'll destroy this monster before Dark Specter has a chance to make it grow."  
  
The three Rangers focus their power through with Power Staffs and blast the Flame Ghost with focused beams of energy. The effect is almost instantaneous. The beams rip through the Flame Ghost as if he were made of paper, destroying him easily.  
  
"Well, that was unexpected," Bronze Ranger says blandly.  
  
"Totally," Platinum Ranger agrees, "Aqua, any ideas?"  
  
"Let's get back to base first," Aqua Ranger replies, "Silver Ranger, are you okay?"  
  
"I'll admit I'm slightly surprised that you were able to beat that monster so easily," Silver Ranger replies, clutching his aching head, "however, I'm glad I was only needed as a distraction."  
  
"And why is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
"Because if I had been needed for more, then we'd likely be dead or seriously injured, because as strong as that thing was we may have some problems in the future," Silver Ranger replies.  
  
"Why is that," Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"I'd like to hear Aqua Ranger's theory first," Silver Ranger replies, "and then the lot of us can brainstorm on both ideas. Now lets return. And have Connerly heal whatever injuries our powers don't take care of."  
  
"One of these days we're gonna have to find out the limits to our enhanced abilities," Platinum Ranger says.  
  
"I could do that now, but I don't think you'd like how I went about it," Silver Ranger says emotionlessly, though he was grinning humorously underneath his helmet.  
  
"And how is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
"Beat the tar out of one of you," Silver Ranger replies simply, "then we'll wait ten minutes and see how much of the damage is healed when you demorph."  
  
"I think all this power is going to your head," Platinum Ranger huffs before teleporting to Atlantis. Laughing, Silver Ranger does the same. Bronze and Aqua Rangers just shake their heads and teleport to Atlantis.  
  
"So, whats your idea?" Silver Ranger asks Petite as he leans against a wall.  
  
"Well, you saw how the Flame Ghost could face off with the three of us and the was at a complete disadvantage when you showed up," Petite tells the Silver Ranger, "especially when you used your Silver Staff to attack. It couldn't ward off that much power. And then we all three of us attacked with our Power Staffs, he was completely obliterated. He just didn't know how to ward off so much power. The focused beams of our Power Staffs have more power than the energy attacks we can perform with our Power Weapons."  
  
"Interesting notion," Alex says. The youth meeting had ended during the battle and Alex had managed to get time away to go to Atlantis by saying that he was gonna take a walk in the park and then walk home.  
  
"Definitely," Silver Ranger says, "and your ideas on the reason for the monster to be able to take on any three of us?"  
  
"He's testing us," Nathan says simply.  
  
"What?" Bethany asks.  
  
"He's testing you, I should say," Nathan answers, "he's testing the limits of his strength. He may be all but unbeatable normally, but I'll bet his well of power doesn't replenish as fast as some of those villains that have attacked Earth from space in the past."  
  
"Rita, Zedd, and Master Vile all had to regain magical energy after a battle, especially if it was a major one," Connerly says, "the Machine Empire just made it a battle of attrition. They had no need to sleep or eat, just a little maintenance and they're back in perfect running order. The Machine Empire were among the toughest opponents any Earth Ranger team has ever faced. They could send monster after monster to fight the Zeo Rangers."  
  
"So why didn't they win?" Ben asks, "I mean, machines can easily last longer than people, even those enhanced by some powerful source of magic."  
  
"Indeed," Jacolby says, "but they continuously underestimated the resolve humans had when it came to protecting their planet, not to mention the power of the mighty Zeo Crystal, one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever created. This and the strength of the human spirit saved them countless times."  
  
"Back to the Dark Specter," Silver Ranger says, "do you really think he's trying to wear us down?"  
  
"Its always a good battle tactic," Jacolby says, "a tired or exhausted opponent can't fight at their best. They must push themselves harder to win by relying on their brute strength than their mind. This tires them even more. It also takes its toll on their mind. They can't think straight, so they have to try and use more muscle than mind. This causes them to use even more of their energy when they could easily have performed the same job had they not been tired. In the end, they will die in battle."  
  
"Makes sense," Silver Ranger says, "but how is he judging our strength to make us fight our best, yet still not use too much so he is still simply toying with us?"  
  
"Well, we haven't really used our Power Staffs much except for the Silver Ranger since he doesn't have a Blade Blaster like we do," Aqua Ranger replies, "I'm guessing that the Dark Specter is planning to wear us out with monsters that are just below our maximum potential. But it appears that we gave him a surprise with this attack. I'm willing to bet he didn't know about the power of the Staffs since he's never fought against Atlantean Rangers before. He's fought the Atlantean Warriors, but their power surpasses ours as much as that of the Atlantean Rangers surpasses an unmorphed human, maybe more."  
  
"You just put yourself down," Holly points out, "you were once an Atlantean Warrior, were you not?"  
  
"Indeed I was, but now I am an Atlantean Ranger," Petite replies with pride.  
  
"We've got to figure out how to handle the Dark Specter's future threats," Alex says.  
  
"You can always call on me and Ben if you need us," Nathan says.  
  
"We will call on you if we need to," Silver Ranger says, "you can trust me on that. I'm not about to put our lives, as well as the lives of everyone on Earth, simply to keep you two a secret. You two are secret weapons, but only as long as you need to be. If we can beat Dark Specter without your help, so much the better. The battlefield is Hell on Earth."  
  
"We have to be unpredictable," Alex says, "if we get predictable in how we react to the Dark Specter's attacks, we'll get dead real soon."  
  
"You mean we'll get dead real soon," Silver Ranger corrects, "sorry dude, but your not out there fighting. Not yet, and unless we can find some good armor that you can use in battle that'll protect you as good as Ranger armor, your stayin' here during fights. But you are right. If we get predictable, we get dead. And we'll take a lot of people with us. There is no one more dangerous than someone who is unpredictable. There is now ay to tell what they will do when pushed. And that is what we have to be: unpredictable. I plan on fighting to the death."  
  
Nathan glares at Silver Ranger. "Doesn't anything scare you? Or has being a Ranger sucked out all emotion from you?"  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder," Alex mutters. No one hears him though.  
  
"You think me emotionless?" Silver Ranger laughs, "I'm just serious."  
  
"So you don't get afraid?" Ben asks skeptically.  
  
"If someone told you I didn't feel fear, then they lied to you," Silver Ranger says, "courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the realization that something else is more important than fear."  
  
"Ambrose Redmon said that," Alex says.  
  
"Yep," Silver Ranger says, "but for now, we may as well wait for Dark Specter to make the next move."  
  
"Since we don't know where he is at, then we can't attack him head-on," Bethany says.  
  
"We don't have the power to attack him head-on," Connerly says, "the six of you do not have the power to take on a lot of his minions if they weren't miraculously destroyed by someone else. It is likely that a lot of them were destroyed by the wave of goodness created on the death of Zordon of Eltare."  
  
"Let's hope so," Ben says, "cause otherwise then he's just toying with us and we don't stand a chance."  
  
A few days later, the Dark Specter is pacing in his throne room, watching a replay of the various battles he had already had with the Atlantean Rangers. Each time they pulled out a new trick with which to destroy his monsters. These Atlantean Rangers were far more dangerous than he had first thought. Yes, they were nothing compared to the Atlantean Warriors, but they were still one of the strongest fighting forces in the universe.  
  
They shouldn't have been able to grasp the abilities of their powers so well this soon. Atlantean magic always had been much of a mystery to most of the universe, but Dark Specter did know that their transformation devices did not give them the required knowledge for much of what they had been doing. Not at the level they had shown. Someone with knowledge of Atlantean magic was helping them. The question was, how?  
  
"Oh great and mighty Dark Specter, when will you be attacking the Earth again?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"Soon, Darkonda, very soon," Dark Specter replies absently, "but first I must think of a monster to send down, and how I am to make it. I will not use one I already have. Right now I am focusing on merely wearing the Atlantean Rangers out."  
  
"The Flame Ghost nearly had them," Darkonda says, "if they hadn't used the power of their Power Staffs then he very well could have defeated them."  
  
"No, he didn't stand a chance," Dark Specter says, "not with all four of them there. The Silver Ranger was waking up and the other three could have held the Flame Ghost off long enough with their other projectile attacks for them to have a chance at a combined attack. He was just a throwaway."  
  
"Then what are you planning to do now, master?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"I will wear the Rangers down," Dark Specter chuckles, "but I need an idea for another monster to and down. Spectrons wouldn't be enough of a challenge and Quatrons,e ven the vast armies of them that I have, wouldn't stand a chance against the Atlantean Rangers."  
  
"May I make a suggestion, oh great and mighty Dark Specter?" Darkonda asks, "I have been researching some Earth mythology in hopes of finding a creature that would be psychologically fearsome for them to have to fight. I have found one that may suit your needs. It is called the Hydra."  
  
"Tell me about this Hydra," Dark Specter asks.  
  
Darkonda gives a small litany of the projected abilities of the Hydra. Dark Specter laughs evilly, knowing he had found a fearsome monster indeed. He sends a blast of magic to Earth to bring about a Hydra using Lord Zedd's monster creation technique.  
  
The spell hits a python and the snake grows until it is much larger than before. It was nearly twenty feet long and as thick as an average man was. It sported nine heads, but its magic made it so that whenever one head was chopped off two more would take its place.  
  
"Go, Hydra monster, and destroy the place the Earth humans call New York City," Dark Specter commands.  
  
"A monster is attacking New York?" Ben asks, aghast, "man, this is not good. The property damage from the battle this is likely to be will be staggering."  
  
"Blame Dark Specter," Bethany retorts, "best we can do is latch onto it and teleport it to some deserted location."  
  
"Good thing its Saturday," Nathan comments, "where's the Silver Ranger?"  
  
"Either sleeping in or watching Saturday morning cartoons," Alex replies.  
  
"You said he's old as I am, right?" Nathan asks.  
  
"He graduated when you did," Alex replies.  
  
"And he's still watching Saturday morning cartoons?" Nathan asks, disbelieving.  
  
"He's still a kid at heart in a lot of things," Alex replies, "it's a good thing he has a VCR and knows how to work it or he would be pissed when we contact him for backup."  
  
"Wouldn't he take it out on the monster though?" Holly asks.  
  
"He'd still be mad that you were unable to take care of the monster on your own," Alex replies, "okay, Holly, Petite, and Bethany, go and stop this monster."  
  
"Wish we could get a fix on it in the pool," Holly says, "then we might have an idea of what we're up against."  
  
The three Rangers morph and teleport to New York City.  
  
"Maybe they'll need our help today," Ben says.  
  
"Let's hope not," Nathan says, "because if they need our help, then they'll be in some serious trouble."  
  
"Agreed," Alex says, "now lets keep an eye on our friends.  
  
Aqua, Bronze, and Platinum Rangers all land in Central Park, which was close to where the monster was.  
  
"Spread out," Aqua Ranger commands, "we've got to find this monster before he does too much damage."  
  
"Um, I don't think we need to find it," Bronze Ranger says.  
  
"And why is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
"Because its found us!" Bronze Ranger yelps as she dodges a strike from one of the Hydra's nine heads.  
  
"What is that?" Aqua Ranger asks as he summons his Aqua Double Dirks. Bronze Ranger summons her Bronze Battle Axe and Platinum Ranger summons her Platinum Partisan.  
  
"It looks like some kind of snake," Platinum Ranger observes, "and look at the shapes of those heads. Each and every one of them is poisonous."  
  
"And whaddya wanna bet those fangs can penetrate our armor?" Bronze Ranger asks as she takes a swipe at one of the heads as it gets too close for her comfort.  
  
"No dice," Aqua Ranger says, "spread out and attack, triangle formation."  
  
The three Rangers move out and attack from the points of a equilateral triangle, but the Hydra easily counters their attacks with three heads per Ranger.  
  
"This is not good!" Aqua Ranger yelps, "we need the Silver Ranger!"  
  
Back at Atlantis, the others look on in curiosity at what the Rangers were fighting.  
  
"What is that?" Nathan asks.  
  
"It's a Hydra," Silver Ranger says from over his shoulder.  
  
"Yaaagh!" Nathan cries out in shock, "don't do that!"  
  
"Whats a Hydra?" Ben asks.  
  
"I remember reading a bit about the Hydra in Greek mythology," Alex says, "but I can't remember much."  
  
"The hydra was a serpent sent by Hera to torment the people of the Lerna," Silver Ranger says, "it was killed by the mighty hero Heracles, more commonly known by his Roman mythological name of Hercules, when he severed each of its eight mortal heads, then severed its ninth immortal head and buried it."  
  
"You are well versed in the mythology of the Greeks," Connerly chuckles, "a passion for literature?"  
  
Silver Ranger shrugs his shoulders. "I just like to read. One of these days I plan to go into one of Atlantis' libraries and read since the Silver Morpher will allow me to read Atlantean without any trouble."  
  
"So, how do we defeat the Hydra?" Nathan asks, "I do recall a bit about the legend of the Hydra. For each head that was lopped off, two more took its place."  
  
"We need to sear its neck," Silver Ranger says, "that way it cannot return that part to normal."  
  
"Then get going," Ben says, "the other Rangers need you!"  
  
"No, they need all three of us," Silver Ranger says, "there are far too many heads for just four Rangers. It'll take all six of us to beat this monster. You can use your Blade Blasters to sear its necks after one of its heads have been chopped off. That will be the department of myself, Nathan, and Bronze Ranger."  
  
"So its time for us to go public?" Ben grins.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," Silver Ranger sighs, "I had hoped that it would be a long time coming."  
  
"Whatever," Ben says, "ready Nate?"  
  
"Ready!" Nathan agrees, "its morphin time! Crystal Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"White Power of Atlantis!"  
  
In twin flashes, Nathan and Ben are garbed in the uniforms of the Crystal and White Atlantean Rangers.  
  
"Lets go and show the Dark Specter who he's messin' with!" White Ranger says, punching his left palm.  
  
The three Rangers teleport out and to the battle site.  
  
"Think they have a chance?" Eleanor asks Alex.  
  
Alex shrugs his shoulders. "Silver Ranger knows his mythology when it comes to Greek and Roman mythology, and he's well-versed in the more well-known myths of many other cultures. If any of us knows how to defeat this monster, he does."  
  
The Hydra was having its way with the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Rangers. It could use three heads on each of the Rangers. While they could fend off on head with one hand and another head with the other, the third head could move in and strike.  
  
Bronze Ranger was down, her shield having various punctures in it, though none have managed to penetrate all the way to her skin. Still, having her armor penetrated hurt a lot. Before the three heads that were attacking her could move in for a deathblow, three energy bolts, one silver, one an almost clear sapphire blue, and the last white, hit one of the heads and knock them out of the way.  
  
Bronze Ranger turns her head to see the Silver, Crystal, and White Rangers standing there, holding their Power Weapons.  
  
The Crystal Rangers weapon was a cutlass, similar in its basic appearance to the Zeo 5 Power Sword wielded by the Red Zeo Ranger. The blade was the same color as his shield and the hilt was a darker color.  
  
The White Ranger had a fairly large warhammer in his hands. From the looks of it, it was heavy even with the strength augmentation that the Atlantean Morphers gave.  
  
"Guess the cats out of the bag," Bronze Ranger murmurs.  
  
"Rangers, get over here!" Silver Ranger calls out, "White, Crystal, you two go ahead and start implementing the plan while I explain it to the others."  
  
"Gotcha boss," Crystal Ranger says as he moves in with White Ranger covering him with his Blade Blaster.  
  
"Okay Silver Ranger, whats the plan?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
Silver Ranger quickly explains. "That thing is based off a Greek monster, the Lernean Hydra. For each head we lop off, two more take its place. Luckily, none of you cut off a head so we only have to deal with nine. The plan is to do exactly what Heracles did to defeat the Hydra. Bronze Ranger, you and I are getting in close. Crystal Ranger and I will try to distract as many heads as we can while you focus on a single head. Your Battle Axe has the best chance of cutting all the way through their necks with a single blow."  
  
"Once we cut a head off, then we'll have two if that thing is based off the Lernean Hydra!" Platinum Ranger exclaims.  
  
Silver Ranger shakes his head. "No, Heracles had his nephew Iolaus sear each neck with a white-hand brand, thus sealing it permanently, after Heracles cut off a head. Platinum, Aqua, you two are gonna use your Blade Blasters with White Ranger on each neck when the head there is severed. Hopefully, that will provide enough heat to sear the necks."  
  
"And if it doesn't?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Then I'm open to suggestions," Silver Ranger replies, "now lets do it!"  
  
Silver Ranger leaps at one of the Hydra's heads and engages it ferociously. Bronze Ranger quickly follows while Platinum and Aqua Rangers draw their Blade Blasters and fire random shots at the heads that the other Rangers were not concentrating on to keep them from ganging up on the other Rangers.  
  
Bronze Ranger was the first to catch success. She lops off one of the Hydra's heads and the three Rangers with Blade Blasters fire simultaneously at the point where the head was severed. The intense heat from the three laser beams sear the Hydra's flesh and keep it from regenerating its head there.  
  
Crystal Ranger comes up with a victory of his own moments later, and then the Silver Ranger does the same. One by one, each of the three attacking Rangers have lopped off all but the main head.  
  
"Okay, if this thing is accurately portrayed off of the Greek myth, and I doubt it because then it would be immortal, then this thing is gonna be extremely hard to kill," Silver Ranger says, "not to mention the scales on that neck are armored."  
  
"So whats the plan?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"Crystal, you and I are doing sword uppers on that thing while Bronze Ranger does an executioner on it," Silver Ranger says, naming a pair of techniques that, when used long ago, felled many long-necked dragons.  
  
Silver Ranger and Crystal Ranger rush in, blade in hand, and leap upwards beneath the Hydra's single remaining neck. Bronze Ranger leaps into the air and charges the blade of her Battle Axe with bronze energy. She comes crashing down on the back of the Hydra's neck while Silver Ranger and Crystal Ranger jump up, their blades almost as one as they drive their weapons into the underside of the Hydra's neck.  
  
The combined attacks are too much for the Hydra and its last head falls to the ground. The other three Rangers quickly fire their Blade Blasters at the last neck, with the Bronze Ranger and Crystal Ranger discarding their weapons and drawing their Blade Blasters to add more head. Silver Ranger performs his projectile attack at full power, aiming it at the last head. The other heads had all disintegrated the moment the neck they had just been severed from was seared.  
  
The entire Hydra erupts in flames, its body blasting apart and the ninth head melting into the ground, scorching it.  
  
"Well, that's that," Silver Ranger sighs as he wills away his weapon.  
  
"It's a good thing you knew about the Hydra's weaknesses," Bronze Ranger tells Silver Ranger, "otherwise, who knows how many heads we'd have had to deal with when we finally figured it all out."  
  
Sivler Ranger waves off the thanks. "Don't mention it. I just did my part. I expect no less of any of the rest of you."  
  
Silver Ranger turns to the Crystal and White Rangers. "So, what do you two think of the new job?"  
  
"Terrifying," Crystal Ranger says, "I still can't believe you tossed a rookie like me into a position like that."  
  
"Hey, at least you aren't a raw rookie like the rest of us were, except for Petite," Bronze Ranger retorts, "when we get back, we're telling you how Platinum Ranger got on the team."  
  
"I've gotta head back home," Silver Ranger says, "I have chores to do."  
  
With that, the Silver Ranger teleports out, but not to home. Instead, he teleports to Atlantis to don his disguise as Jacob.  
  
"Well, I'd say this outing was a success," Aqua Ranger surmises, "lets get back and make our report to the Council."  
  
In flashes of multi-colored light, the five Rangers teleport back tot heir base of operations.  
  
Aboard his Dark Fortress, the Dark Specter yells in anger and frustration. Two new Rangers! Two! And they appeared at home with their powers, just as the Aqua Ranger had. Either they had been recruited and trained and then held back until they were absolutely needed, or they already possessed knowledge of Atlantis. He had heard the Aqua Rangers quick explanation to the Silver Ranger when he had come aboard.  
  
"Darkonda!" Dark Specter roars.  
  
"Yes, master?" Darkonda quivers.  
  
"Contact Master Vile," Dark Specter growls, "tell him to send my minion back to me. I'll send him back if he is still needed after he destroys the Rangers."  
  
"Yes master," Darkonda says, eyes wide with astonishment. The Dark specter was sending for one of his few remaining elite monsters? He must either be really mad or the Atlantean Rangers were far more powerful than he had surmised. Either way, with the Garnecia Elephantis on its way, the Atlantean Rangers were doomed.  
  
"That was very well done," Connerly says, "we would have sent Alex to help by being the fire if we had some sort of armor for him."  
  
"You know, Alex and the Silver Ranger are the only ones with any skill at magic," Jacolby observes, "Alex almost seems to be a natural born Atlantean when it comes to handling the Atlantean magic."  
  
"I wish the Silver Ranger would trust us with his identity," Holly sighs.  
  
"He's afraid of making friends," Alex tells her, "there are only a handful of people that are, in his mind, his friends. I know him well enough to say that he will eventually warm up to you, provided that he actually starts coming and training with you."  
  
"He's been depriving himself of sleep to come here and train in the use of his Morpher when you are not around," Petite says, "he can't keep it up for more than a month."  
  
"Enough of this depressing talk," 'Jacob' says, "lets party! Its your first fight as a full team. This is cause to celebrate!"  
  
~~  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis is also from the Yu Gi Oh! Card game and the show. Well, how did you like this chapter? Please review. 


	7. The Second Binary Zord

A/N: I want to thank everyone who have reviewed this fic so far. I never thought it would actually get any real success so this is a pleasant surprise.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers, but I do own the Rangers portrayed thus far in this fic. I don't own the Dark Specter or Darkonda though. They are property of Saban just like the Power Rangers.  
  
~~~  
  
It was the day after the defeat of the Hydra and things looked to be pretty quiet. Of course, appearances have a way of being deceiving.  
  
Dark Specter glowers at the Earth. So far, these upstart Atlantean Rangers had thwarted his every attempt to conquer this disreputable little mudball. If not for the fact that several of the greatest villains the universe had ever seen had met their match in a handful of the planets teenage population, no one else in the galaxy would likely even know it existed.  
  
Earth had almost spelt doom for the Dark Specter himself. If he hadn't been in remission from Darkonda's treacherous attack then the wave of energy that Zordon of Eltare released upon his death would have wiped him out as well. Earth's heroes ere not without their resources, it seemed. The Turbo Rangers had managed to defeat his minion Goldgoyle. Granted, they were still fairly weak and Goldgoyle was merely a lackey, but they had defeated them. He had overpowered their Rescue Megazord and their Turbo Megazord, yet a simple cannon set on overload had destroyed the mighty Goldgoyle. It was to laugh.  
  
The Atlantean Rangers technically had no Megazord. So far they only showed having the Zords of the Bronze, Platinum, Silver, and Aqua Rangers. There was no way of telling if they had the Zords of the Crystal and White Rangers. Dark Specter assumed that they did. But only a fool would underestimate Earth humans. Even the Dark Specter himself couldn't take them lightly. A mere human female, supposedly the weaker sex on Earth, was able to fight off one of the most powerful spells in existence, cast by one of the most powerful witches to ever live.  
  
No, humans were not a species to be taken lightly. There was something about their spirit that set them apart from anyone else in the universe, including other humanoid races such as Triforians and Aquitians. Even the Edenites did not possess such an incredible spirit. Dark Specter had conquered countless planets, each one easier than the last, and found this brief challenge refreshing. Doubtless the Machine Empire found it the same. Rita probably had a migraine and Zedd probably went into a rage. And Divatox would just whine like a spoiled brat. And Astronema. Dark Specter preferred not to think about the former Princess of Evil, but he knew that Astronema likely huffed and then would think of a suitably evil scheme for her next try. After all, she and Ecliptor had come closer to defeating the forces of good, Earth's Power Ranger, than any evil before them. Or since. True, the mutant Ransik had almost defeated the Time Force Power Rangers, but that was always the case in the final battle between Ranger teams and their archenemy. Astronema had succeeded in destroying the mighty Delta Megazord, the Voyager Megazord, crippling the Mega Winger, and severely damaging the Astro Megaship.  
  
But what to do about these Atlantean Rangers while waiting for the Garnecia Elephantis to arrive? He had to test their new limits, to see how well they stacked up against his loyal minion.  
  
"Master, are you thinking of a plot to destroy the Rangers?" Darkonda asks. He had gone to a sniveling coward since his near-destruction, but that was just an act. He was still as dangerous and treacherous as ever.  
  
"Darkonda, how often must I tell you not to intrude on me," Dark Specter growls, "leave me, or be destroyed."  
  
Darkonda apologizes. "As much as I would like to obey your command, oh mighty Dark Specter, I have news that might interest you. The Silver Ranger is among others who do not know his secret. He will be unable to morph, and if we attack somewhere else, then the other Rangers will be too preoccupied to help him."  
  
"Very good, Darkonda," Dark Specter approves, "do you have any monsters in mind?"  
  
"Well, there is the Boar Soldier," Darkonda begins, "he would be formidable enough to destroy even the Silver Ranger when he is morphed. To distract the other Rangers, you can always use the Destroyer Golem and make him grow."  
  
"Yes, the Destroyer Golem," Dark Specter mumbles approvingly, "a veritable tag team of ruthlessness. Send them to Earth at once."  
  
"Yes, my master," Darkonda bows. He hastily exits to carry out his orders.  
  
Jesse was enjoying a day in the park. The MYF had decided to get together after church and he was enjoying himself immensely. Ever since he had gained the Silver Morpher, his stamina had improved dramatically. His strength and speed had only marginally increased. The other Rangers strength and speed were increasing by a much larger margin than his. Jesse supposed this was because most of the umorphed physical enhancement that the Morpher gave was going into bringing his stamina up to par. Not that Jesse minded, of course. He would just have to improve his strength and speed the old fashioned way.  
  
Currently, the youth group was embroiled in a cutthroat game of kickball.  
  
"TJ, first base!" Jesse yells, rolling the ball to his teammate. The slightly shorter, sandy-haired boy runs to first base, which was normally Jesse's territory but today Jesse had decided to be the roller for his team. Morpher or not, he still couldn't throw worth beans but he had the best strikeout average of the entire youth group. Jesse rolls the ball fast and hard to first base, where TJ scoops it up in time to tag Josh as he tried to get back to first, having decided not steal second after all.  
  
"Nice job!" Jesse cheers as Josh walks dejectedly back to the rest of his team.  
  
"That's the third out, so its our turn to kick," David says. David was half a head shorter than Jesse and had dark hair.  
  
"You're not gonna score on us," Alex says confidently, "after all, we have the better fielders."  
  
It was true. Though Jesse's team had David and TJ, Alex's team had the rest of the athletic members of the youth group. Even the girls on the team were more athletic than Jesse was!  
  
"So you say," Jesse chuckles, "but you never know whats gonna happen until it happens, and then its too late to change it."  
  
"Shut up and kick," Alex says crossly.  
  
"Righto," Jesse chuckles.  
  
But before Alex could even roll the ball, a monster appears. It appeared to be a cross between a boar and a man, with a man's body but heavily muscled and with a head similar to that of a wild boar. It was carrying an axe that appeared to be a stone tied to a club. It was also armored in black lacquered armor.  
  
"Humans die!" the creature bellows, "Spectrons, attack!"  
  
A platoon of about ten Spectrons teleport in, their weapons at the ready.  
  
"Charge!" the monster commands and the Spectrons move in to attack the youth group.  
  
'Oh crap,' Jesse thinks as he ducks from a Spectrons attempt to slice off his head, 'Dark Specter has me good. I can't morph in front of the youth group and Alex can't use his magic either. And I can't really fight the Spectrons or the MYF will get suspicious. They know I'm not taking any self- defense classes or any martial arts and that I'm not in the best of shape yet. The other Rangers had better hurry up and get here.'  
  
But the other Rangers were busy with another monster. The Destroyer Golem was big, strong, and formidable. All five Rangers were fighting him and not proving to be much use.  
  
The Destroyer Golem was made entirely of rock. Its right arm was more than twice the size of its left arm and left holes in the ground whenever he tried to punch a Ranger with it.  
  
"Me bash!" The Destroyer Golem was definitely strong, but not much smarter than the Rock Ogre.  
  
"Where is the Silver Ranger when you need him?" Bronze Ranger grumbles as she narrowly avoids being flattened by the Destroyer Golem.  
  
Aqua Ranger's wrist communicator beeps. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
Connerly's voice floats from the communicator. "Dark Specter is trying for a two-prong attack to destroy you. He has sent another monster to destroy the Silver Ranger while he is unmorphed."  
  
"Why doesn't he morph?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
Connerly sounded worried. "Because he was attacked when he was among a sizable group of friends who do not know his identity and he has a reputation for not being very good at defending himself so he can't even fight the Spectrons."  
  
"I'll go and help him," Aqua Ranger offers, "I'll distract everyone enough so that they can all get away and Silver Ranger can morph."  
  
"Do your best, Aqua Ranger," Connerly says, "over and out."  
  
"Guys, the Silver Ranger needs help!" Aqua Ranger calls out, "I'm going to help him."  
  
Aqua Ranger teleports out in a streak of aqua light.  
  
Almost the moment that the Boar Soldier appeared with the Spectrons, the youth group began to scatter. Some of the guys hung back to try and give the girls time to escape, but they weren't helping much. Jesse hoped that none of the others would wonder why they were trying to gang up on him, but if push came to serve he would morph and explain things later.  
  
Lucky for him, that was not the case. The Aqua Ranger appeared, Aqua Double Dirks in hand, and began cutting into the Spectrons. A few well-placed strikes to each Spectron was all it took to take it down.  
  
'I'd better remember those weak points,' Jesse thinks as he tries to run, 'could be really useful to know if I'm fighting against an overwhelming number of Spectrons.'  
  
Jesse left with the rest of the youth group so the Aqua Ranger could fight without worrying about them.  
  
"Man, can you believe that?" Josh gushes as they reach the sanctuary, "we got attacked by alien foot soldiers and were saved by a Power Ranger!"  
  
"But why did they attack us?" Katie asks.  
  
"Random destruction," Jesse points out, "remember all those news footage from other cities that have been attacked by monsters, mainly Angel Grove out in California? Several times they would just attack for no reason."  
  
"Wasn't that one of the new Rangers?" Kevin asks, "what did the press call them?"  
  
"They are just calling them the "new Rangers" at the moment," Alex says, "since the Rangers haven't ventured a name for themselves yet."  
  
"They may not know how," Anna says, "after all, this group of Rangers could be from another planet and know nothing of Earth."  
  
"You know, when I was a kid people always said I was crazy for believing in aliens," Jesse chuckles, "now whose crazy?"  
  
"Your still crazy," Katie says, "just not crazy for believing in aliens."  
  
"Do you think its safe?" Lindsey asks.  
  
"Dunno," Alex says, "perhaps the Ranger will come and tell us its safe before he leaves."  
  
"Is it a he?" Mary asks, "wasn't the first Pink Ranger really short? I'm pretty sure she was, and that Ranger that saved us was short."  
  
"Yeah, and didn't the first Yellow Ranger use daggers for weapons?" Anna asks.  
  
"Those weren't daggers, they were dirks," Jesse says without thinking.  
  
The youth group looks at him funny.  
  
'Uh oh,' Alex thinks, 'can't wait to see what excuse he comes up with here.'  
  
"Hey, I'm interested in old weapons, all right?" Jesse says indignantly, "it happens to be a hobby of mine and has been for years."  
  
The youth group seems to accept that.  
  
A few minutes later, the Aqua Ranger finds them. "I took care of the Spectrons, but the monster escaped. Be on the lookout. That one was extremely stupid and since it decided to attack all of you, he might be back. I suggest going home if I were you."  
  
"That does seem like a good idea," Miss Ellen, the youth leader, says, "those of us that drive can take the others home."  
  
"I can take Katie and Alex home since they live next door," Jesse offers.  
  
"Thanks, but not hanks," Katie says bluntly, "I do not want to be in a car with you behind the wheel."  
  
"Katie, I'm hurt," Jesse says, a falsely wounded expression on his face, then eliminates it. "Besides, I am not a bad driver. That wreck was not my fault. I've already lost count how many times I've told you that!"  
  
"I'll stay until all of you are safely in your cars and are leaving," Aqua Ranger says.  
  
"Don't the other Rangers need your help?" Jesse asks.  
  
"No, they can handle the monster they are facing okay," Aqua Ranger says, "its power readings were high, but it was extremely slow and stupid. The others can hold it off long enough for me to get there, if they even need my help."  
  
A chill runs down Jesse's spine. Dark Specter had sent two monsters! One to deal with him, the other to distract the other Rangers. Had he goofed in sending down a weak monster?"  
  
"Where did the monster that was attacking us go?" Alex asks.  
  
"He teleported out," Aqua Ranger says, "perhaps to the battle with the other Rangers to help out the other monster."  
  
The chill suddenly got worse.  
  
"Maybe you outta go and help your teammates," Jesse suggests, "after all, that monster looked really strong. And whose to say what kind of power the two monster contain when working together?"  
  
"You might be right," Aqua Ranger says, cocking his head, "but your safety must come first."  
  
"All right guys," Miss Ellen says, "lets go to our cars and leave. We've distracted the Green Ranger long enough."  
  
"Actually, I'm the Aqua Ranger," Aqua Ranger corrects while Jesse does his best to hide a snicker, "there are only two colors on our team that you would be familiar with. The Silver Ranger, who is our leader, and the White Ranger, who is nothing like the previous two White Rangers."  
  
"I know nothing about any of the teams of Power Rangers," Miss Ellen admits.  
  
"Well, you might want to start learning a bit about us ma'am," Aqua Ranger advises, "because most of us are from this city and it will be the first one that we protect in a worldwide invasion."  
  
The youth group hurries to their vehicles, with Katie reluctantly following her brother to Jesse's '92 Ford Taurus.  
  
"Don't have a wreck," Katie warns as she gets into the car.  
  
As soon as everyone has safely driven away, Aqua Ranger teleports back to the battle.  
  
As it turned out, things were not going so bad. The Boar Soldier had not turned up at the battle so the other four Rangers were doing pretty well, even though the Destroyer Golem was still too powerful for them to destroy easily.  
  
"Shouldn't we try our Power Staffs?" Bronze Ranger asks the Aqua Ranger as he rejoins the battle.  
  
"If we try them right now, then it'll be a waste of energy," Aqua Ranger replies, "however, we can try the Blade Blaster formation that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers used. It had quite a bit of power and our Blade Blasters are far superior to the ones they had. Let's do it!"  
  
All of the Rangers draw their Blade Blasters and leap into action. Aqua, Crystal, and White Rangers stand side-by-side and Bronze and Platinum Rangers stand on their shoulders, each foot on a different Ranger.  
  
"Atlantean Blast!" all five Rangers call out as their pour power from their Blade Blasters into the attack. The attack streams forth and hits the Destroyer Golem dead center. The blast knocks the Destroyer Golem back several feet, chips and pebbles breaking off of its body as the blast slowly disintegrates the mammoth creature. But in the end the blast fails to destroy the Destroyer Golem. But rather than fight, it teleports away to repair itself. It would be back.  
  
"Well, that went well," Bronze Ranger remarks as she steps down from standing on the shoulders of the Aqua and Crystal Rangers.  
  
"For sure," Platinum Ranger agrees as she steps off of the Aqua and White Rangers, "and now we have a new attack to use against the Dark Specter."  
  
"We're just lucky that he doesn't have his elite warriors anymore," Aqua Ranger points out, "I've fought some of his elite warriors, and they make that thing look like a Spectron, or lower yet, one of Rita's Putty Patrollers."  
  
"Now that's strong," Bronze Ranger comments.  
  
"Lets teleport back to Atlantis," Aqua Ranger says wearily, "we can give our report to the Elder and then take the day off."  
  
"Now that is a plan I like," Platinum Ranger says. The five Rangers teleport out in flashes of multi-colored light.  
  
Later that day, Jesse is meditating when he receives a signal from the Elder via communicator.  
  
"Yes Elder?" he asks cautiously.  
  
"Your assistance is required," the Elder's voice says through the communicator, "the other Rangers are battling the monster that attacked them earlier to distract them from coming to your aid in the area known as the Ozarks. The battle is not going well and the monster just grew to Zord proportions."  
  
"I'm on it sir," Jesse says as he summons his Morpher.  
  
"One more thing, Jesse," the Elder says, "this will be as good a time as any for us to unveil the Crystal and White Atlantean Zords."  
  
"Only if the monster proves to be too strong," Jesse says, "now, its morphin' time! Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
In a stream of silver light, the Silver Ranger teleports out of his bedroom and to the battle.  
  
The Destroyer Golem was a far bigger nuisance giant-sized than it was normal sized. The Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Atlantean Zords were doing their best to keep it at bay, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The Destroyer Golem gave them no time to regroup or to even try to form the Binary Zord One or the Armor Mode of the Bronze or Platinum Atlantean Zords in their Warrior Modes.  
  
The massive fist slams into the torso of the Bronze Warrior Zord, causing it to go crashing to the ground.  
  
"How can this thing be this much more powerful?" Bronze Ranger demands.  
  
"Either it was holding back on us before, or the Dark Specter has increased its powers," Platinum Ranger muses.  
  
"Why aren't those two calling on their Zords?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"They have yet to be told that they have Zords," Aqua Ranger says from the comm. screen, "and we're all a bit too busy here to tell them."  
  
He is interrupted from further speech as a flash of silver signals the arrival of the Silver Ranger.  
  
"About time he got here," Bronze Ranger mutters violently.  
  
"Guys, call on your Zords," Silver Ranger commands.  
  
"We have Zords?" Crystal Ranger asks, surprised.  
  
"Yes," Silver Ranger replies evenly, "Crystal Ranger, you command the Crystal Chimera Atlantean Zord. White Ranger, you command the White Gargoyle Atlantean Zord. They can also transform into Warrior Modes, just like all of the other Zords. And they can combine to form the Binary Zord Two. Now, call on your Zords!"  
  
"I call upon the White Gargoyle, Zord of Atlantis!" White Ranger calls out. A majestic monster of a Zord swoops down from the sky. Its body and limbs were a pure white, with light blue trim on the edges of the bat-like wings. The face was like a cross between a lion and an ape, with a large gaping mouth.  
  
"Whoa," White Ranger murmurs as he sees his Zord.  
  
"I call upon the Crystal Chimera, Zord of Atlantis!" Crystal Ranger calls out. The sound of pounding feet from behind makes the Rangers turn around to see the Crystal Chimera Zord. The Zord before them had the body and head of a lion, with the head of a goat on its back and a serpent for a tail. The skin was the same color as the armor of the Crystal Ranger's, only the mane of the lion's head and the serpent were a darker color, much like the color of the Crystal Ranger's shield.  
  
"Now that's a Zord," Crystal Ranger murmurs.  
  
"I call upon the Silver Dragon, Zord of Atlantis!" Silver Ranger calls out. The Silver Dragon Zord comes into view. The three Rangers leap into their respective Zords.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord, convert to Warrior Mode!" Silver Ranger calls out. The legs extend slightly and begin to change as if a fluid. The arms extend as well and the draconic claws split and separate to reveal human-like hands. The tail splits into four sections and snakes around the legs and arms, then spread out to form a sort of armor. The neck splits and lowers, covering part of the upper torso. The draconic head splits down the middle and sets about forming a humanoid head quite similar to that of the Red Dragon Thunderzord's Warrior mode. The head then lowers and settles itself properly. The wings folds, split, and somewhat retract and form a cape, the talon of each wing focusing just in front of the face, locked together. The remains of the tail fold and strap across the back, revealing a sword and scabbard.  
  
"Crystal Chimera Zord, convert to Warrior Mode!" Crystal Ranger commands. The Crystal Chimera Zord begins to glow with a faint light the same color of the Zord itself.. The hind legs thicken and shift to form more humanoid feet. The forepaws change slightly and become humanoid hands. The body splits open and the goat head moves up to combine with the lion head. The serpent-tail separates from the rear and curls around the combined lion and goat heads, which then splits to show a humanoid head like that of the White Tigerzord Warrior Mode. The body then closes up with the remains of the lion and goat heads forming a sort of armor over the chest.  
  
"Crystal Chimera Zord, Warrior mode power up!" Crystal Ranger calls out.  
  
"White Gargoyle Zord, convert to Warrior Mode!" White Ranger commands. The White Gargoyle Zord begins to glow with a faint white light. The head splits into four pieces, revealing a humanoid head underneath. The facemask goes down and settles in the middle of the chest while the back of the head does the same in the middle of the upper back. The wings fold over the chest and form a cape similar to that of the Silver Dragon Zord Warrior Mode. The cape then folds around the arms and form gauntlets  
  
"White Gargoyle Zord, Warrior mode power up!" White Ranger calls out.  
  
"Okay bub, now you got five Atlantean Zords in their Warrior modes staring you down," Silver Ranger murmurs, "what are you gonna do?"  
  
At the last second, he ducks and dodges a powerful swing from the Boar Soldier, who had managed to go unnoticed throughout the battle so far.  
  
"Great, their both here!" Silver Ranger groans as he starts dodging the powerful hits from the Boar Soldier.  
  
"Silver Ranger!" Aqua Ranger calls out, the Aqua Golem Zord moving to help the team's leader.  
  
"Stay back," Silver Ranger orders, "White Ranger, Crystal Ranger, form the Binary Zord Two. Ladies, form the Binary Zord One. Aqua Ranger, let's see if we can put together the Silver Dragon Zord Armor Mode in record time."  
  
"Gotcha," Aqua Ranger says as the Aqua Golem Zord splits into the Armor components. The legs form into guards that attach themselves to the legs of the Silver Warrior Zord while the torso and arms form a suit of torso armor. The head becomes a helmet.  
  
"Silver Warrior Zord, Armor mode, power up!" Silver and Aqua Rangers call out in unison. He draws the Silver Armor Sword and prepares to do battle with his aggressor.  
  
The Boar Soldier brings his axe down hard on the Silver Armor Zord, but the Silver Ranger blocks the blow, though his arms go numb at the force of the blow.  
  
'Okay, going strength for strength with this thing is definitely out of the question,' Silver Ranger thinks, 'think, Jesse, think! You need and idea!'  
  
Silver Ranger back flips and kicks the Boar Soldier in the jaw mid flip, then leaps forward from the crouch he lands in and rams into the Boar Soldier, who grabs the Silver Armor Zord and tosses it aside like it was dead weight.  
  
"This monster is way too powerful for us as we are," Silver Ranger tells the image of the Aqua Ranger on one of his monitors, "any ideas?"  
  
"None come to mind except hold this guy off long enough for the Binary Zords to form," Aqua Ranger replies.  
  
"This is not my day," Silver Ranger grumbles as he takes a powerful boot to the sternum.  
  
"Um, any idea how to form this Binary Zord Two?" Crystal Ranger asks White Ranger.  
  
"Not a clue," White Ranger responds, "wanna see what the Morphers tell us?"  
  
The two Rangers focus for a moment, closing their eyes underneath their helmets. A second later, they open their eyes, knowing exactly what to do.  
  
"Initiate Binary Zord Two!" both Ranger's call out in unison.  
  
In a mixed flash of white and light sapphire blue light, the two Zords revert to their creature modes and begin to pulse with appropriately colored light. The Crystal Chimera Zord stands on its hind legs and begins to open up, its forelegs merging with its hind legs and parts of the body piecing around them to make the legs sturdier. The main head settles into a niche and becomes the waist while the goat head splits and becomes like a belt with the lion head becoming the buckle. The White Gargoyle Zord splits and its arms and legs become one, forming into a larger and sturdier set of arms. The head spins around and opens up, showing a different head from the White Warrior Zord. The torso shifts slightly and becomes more streamlined. The lower part of the torso slides into niches in the waist formed by the Crystal Chimera Zord, solidifying the body. White and light sapphire lightning bolts arc around the Zord as it comes alive.  
  
"Binary Zord Two, power up!" White and Crystal Rangers call out in unison.  
  
"Binary Scythe!" White Ranger calls out. Immediately, the weapon is in the hands of the Binary Zord Two. Like the Binary Halberd of the Binary Zord One, it is a combination of weapons. The handle was the Gargoyle Warhammer and the blade itself was the Chimera Cutlass. All in all, it looked to be a formidable weapon.  
  
The Binary Zord Two moves in, slashing with its Scythe at the Destroy4er Golem but the attack bounces off of its thick armor. A single punch knocks the Binary Zord Two back several steps.  
  
"Initiate Binary Zord One!" Bronze and Platinum Rangers call out now that they have a breather. Bronze and Platinum light engulf the two Zords and they transform into the creature modes. The Bronze Griffin Zord opens up from the center torso. The back legs come down and cover the front legs like armor. The head shifts and forms a kind of waist armor. The wings move up and fold around to form additional waist armor with the wingtips connecting to the griffin head.  
  
The Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord splits long-length. The front and read flanks become shoulder armor while the front and rear legs merge to become arms. The new chest splits open and the head moves in to reveal a head with a unique design. The chest closes up again as the top part of the Binary Zord One connects with the bottom part. The wings of the top part fold over the lower torso to form a glamorous armor.  
  
"Binzary Zord One, power up!" Bronze and Platinum Rangers call out in unison. They summon the Binary Halberd and wade in to attack the Destroyer Golem.  
  
"Okay, lets show this guy whose boss," Bronze Ranger growls unfemininely.  
  
With a quick slash from the Binary Halberd they rip into the back of the Destroyer Golem. This only serves to make the monster mad. It spins around and backhands the Binary Zord One so that it crashes to the ground.  
  
Aqua Ranger's voice floats from the comm. units of the two Binary Zords. "Guys, the Binary Zord One is built better for speed and precision strikes. The Binary Zord Two is the physically stronger of the two. Work together in perfect unison and you'll be able to crush that monster."  
  
"I think I gots me an idea," White Ranger chuckles evilly as a plan forms in his mind, "okay guys, this is what we'll do."  
  
Meanwhile, Silver Ranger is having a somewhat easier time with the Boar Soldier. Somewhat meaning that he wasn't being totally overwhelmed by its physical strength, and easier as in "How the heck can this guy shrug off these blows?"  
  
Not to mention that now that he was as big as a skyscraper, he smelled. Really, really bad. Something like year old gym socks that were never taken off and rotting eggs. How could anything short of an exploded sewer pipe smell this bad? And how the heck did the other monster handle it?  
  
As if by magic, a thought dawned in Silver Ranger's mind. Of course. These two monsters were fighting a good distance from each other. Checking his scanners. He noticed that the area of stench seemed to focus only at the Silver Armor Warrior Zord.  
  
"But I'll bet that the other monster doesn't know that," Silver Ranger says with a devious grin under his helmet. He quickly backs up after sending a small energy bolt from the Silver Dragon Saber into the Boar Soldier's chest. With that, he leaps back to avoid the Boar's Soldier's impending charge.  
  
It didn't come. Silver Ranger looks on in amazement as the Boar Soldier howls in pain. Noticing the spot where the bolt had hit, Silver Ranger grins menacingly. "So you do have a weak spot. Well, too bad for you we can manipulate it as we wish."  
  
"Definitely," Aqua Ranger says, "lets do it."  
  
"Armor Slash!" Silver Ranger calls out, aiming for and hitting the newly revealed weak spot of the Boar Soldier. The Boar Soldier howls in pain, shrinking away from the Silver Armor Warrior Zord.  
  
"Armor Blade Strike!" Silver Ranger executes the signature attack of the Silver Armor Warrior Zord, sending a blast of focused silver and aqua energy at the Boar Soldier. The energy blast focuses into a thinner stream and hits the weak spot of the Boar Soldier specifically. The attack rips through the monster and it hits the ground in a devastating explosion.  
  
"Well, that was easy," Silver Ranger remarks.  
  
"Speak for yourself!" Aqua Ranger cries out indignantly from his personal viewscreen, "you didn't take most of the pounding that freak delivered! Its punches packed an incredible power!"  
  
"Let's go and help the others," Silver Ranger says, "it looks like they need it."  
  
Indeed, the two Binary Zords looked like they were in dire straights. The Destroyer Golem was incredibly strong and it looked like it could totally overpower any Zord they had.  
  
The battle wasn't going well and Silver Ranger was about to leap in when the Binary Zord One, which was the current Zord combating the Destroyer Golem in single combat, leaps out of the way as the Binary Zord Two rushes in and slashes hard with its Binary Scythe.  
  
"Armor Blade Strike!" Silver and Aqua Ranger's call out, performing the attack. The energy blast hits the Destroyer Golem in the side, since the Silver Armor Warrior Zord was to the left of it instead of in front of it.  
  
"So nice of you to join in," Bronze Ranger comments.  
  
"Stuff it," Silver Ranger snaps, "that Boar Soldier had it in for me. I couldn't help you. At least I kept it busy enough so you didn't have to worry about a sneak attack."  
  
"Whatever," Bronze Ranger snaps, "just help us turn this thing into rubble."  
  
"Will do," Silver Ranger says as he combines the Armor Blades to the Dragon Saber to form a sword with two prongs, turning it from dangerous to absolutely lethal. The Silver Armor Warrior Zord leaps behind the destroyer Golem and prepares to attack.  
  
"Armor Dragon Slash!" Silver and Aqua Ranger's call out, carving a circle in the air with the new Armor Dragon Saber. The Silver Armor Warrior Zord slashes to the upper left, then to the upper right, twirls the blade in its right hand, and the ends it with a horizontal slash from the left to the right. An incredibly powerful wave of silver and aqua energy erupts from the circle and collides with the back of the Destroyer Golem.  
  
"Binary Halberd Strike!" Bronze and Platinum Rangers call out. The Binary Zord One performs its Binary Halberd Strike. It carves a circle into the air and then performs three slashes: two diagonally from the left to the right and one horizontally from the left to the right, spinning completely around between each slash. A streak of bronze and platinum energy bursts forth and hits the front right side of the Destroyer Golem.  
  
"Binary Scythe Slash!" Crystal and White Rangers call out in unison. The Binary Zord Two swings its Binary Scythe and carves a circle in the air. With perfect precision, the Zord slashes upwards down the middle and then slashes downwards from the left side to the diagonal right and then spins to the right and slashes upwards from the left to the diagonal right. As soon the final slash is made energy the same color as the two Ranger's uniforms streak forth and hit the Destroyer Golem in the front left side.  
  
Almost immediately the Destroyer Golem crumbles at the sheer amount of power it was being hit with all at once. The energy pushes through and within moments the Destroyer Golem is nothing more than dust.  
  
"Alright!" Bronze Ranger cheers, "we did it!"  
  
"Not bad for our first group Zord battle," Silver Ranger muses, "probably better than any other Ranger team before us. Of course, most of us got Zord experience before the team was finished, so we can't really judge. Still, I'd say we adapted pretty well."  
  
"Are you kidding?" White Ranger cries out, "we stomped their butts good! We're the best!"  
  
"Let Dark Specter come, we're ready for him," Crystal Ranger says.  
  
"Let's get back to Atlantis before their male hormonal drives kick in and they start doing some sort of goofy victory dance with their Zords," Platinum Ranger tells Bronze Ranger.  
  
"I hear that," Silver Ranger says, "lets get back. I'm sure Jacolby wants to start drilling you in Zord combat."  
  
"What about you?" Bronze Ranger asks, "you only have one Zord battle to your credit more than me or Bronze Ranger."  
  
"And I took in every scrap of knowledge that the Morpher supplies and I've done countless drills with Aqua Ranger when the rest of you were occupied with hanging out with your friends and the like," Silver Ranger replies, "so I'm more aware of what to do than you are. Don't worry though. Jacolby should have you up to my level in a few days. I'm not that far ahead of you and there's not much more that our current level of strength can handle."  
  
"Say what?" Crystal Ranger asks, confused.  
  
"Ask Connerly sometime, he can explain it way better than I can," Silver Ranger replies.  
  
The Rangers teleport with their Zords to Atlantis.  
  
"So, your saying that the more battles we get in, the more power we can access?" Brian asks.  
  
Connerly nods his head. "Yes. The more you stress your bodies, forcing more power to flow from the Morphers, the more your body can handle. Eventually, you may even be able to handle the amount of power that you would have if you were able to become the Atlantean Warriors."  
  
"Why can't we do that now?" Nathan asks.  
  
"Because there is something about Atlantean blood that enables us to handle more power faster than other humans," Connerly explains, "we're not sure what it is, but it is a fact. We think it has something to do with Atlantis itself. As your bodies adjust to the new levels of power, new abilities may become available to you. You six are the first Atlantean Rangers. Your abilities are unknown to us. You powers are a complete unknown. There are no records of your possible powers. It may be that we can create new weapons for you."  
  
Connerly shakes his head. "If we had all seven Morphers, you would be able to someday transform into Atlantean Warriors. But we never will since the Green Morpher was reforged into the Power Coins used by Zordon of Eltare to fight Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd."  
  
"Is it possible to reforge the Coins back into the Green Morpher?" Brian asks.  
  
Connerly shakes his head. "During some very odd circumstances, the Power Coins were destroyed, except for the powerless one wielded by the Green Morphin Ranger. That was when Zordon sent his charges out to search for the shards of the mighty Zeo Crystal, one of the few sources of power in the universe that can compare to that of the Atlantean Morphers. The only other known power is that of the Quasar Sabers and the Lights of Orion, which are wielded by the Galaxy Rangers."  
  
"Do you think we can forge an alliance with them, to have some back-up?" Holly asks.  
  
"They wouldn't really be a lot of help," Connerly says, "and if we took strides to make contact with them, we might make them targets for the Dark Specter. No, we'll have to form an alliance if your pathes ever cross with theirs. The same goes for any other Ranger team, active or not."  
  
"So we really are alone in this war," Bethany says sadly.  
  
"You're wrong," Silver Ranger says, "we are a team. Even though I may not act it, I do value this team. Now the only reason I got in not trusting you with my identity is that I'm not comfortable around people."  
  
"You should try getting a night shift job cleaning at a factory or something," Brian says.  
  
"Bah," Silver Ranger snorts, "I'm not that bad."  
  
"Do the Zords have any other configurations?" Holly asks, "every other Ranger team has had a Megazord, where a group of the Zords they have, or all of them if they only have one group, come together to form a very powerful fighting machine."  
  
"You do indeed," Connerly says, "technically, you do have the two Trinary Megazords."  
  
"You mean where the Silver Warrior Zord combines with our Zords?" Bethany asks.  
  
"And it can do the same with the Crystal Chimera and White Gargoyle Zords?" Holly adds.  
  
"Yes," Connerly agrees, "but your four Zords can come together to form the Quadro Megazord, which is technically the Atlantean Megazord when the Aqua Golem Zord combines with it. But we never called it that for some reason."  
  
"Any other configurations?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"Well, we can call the combination of the Quadro Megazord and the Silver Dragon Zord the Atlantean Megazord since there is no possibility of combining with the Zord of the Green Atlantean Ranger, since we'll never have one. Originally though the combination was called the Silver Atlantean MegaZord."  
  
"We'll save that config for a last resort," Silver Ranger says, "we need every surprise and boost of unexpected power we can manage."  
  
"How do you think of this stuff?" Nathan demands, "for some reason, as far as I know of none of the students who failed were any good at strategy. Of course, hardly anyone knows anything about Jesse."  
  
"That you know of," Silver Ranger says, smirking beneath his helmet, knowing that Nathan nearly guessed his identity, "I love playing strategy games, especially against Alex. We can play Risk all day long. I'm currently trying to find some good computer strategy games for us to play."  
  
"So you're a sucker for strategy games?" Brian asks.  
  
"You got it," Silver Ranger ays, "now, I must be getting home. I need to unwind after such a grueling battle."  
  
With that, the Silver Ranger teleports home to rest and get some sleep.  
  
"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Holly says, suppressing a yawn, "I'm heading home too."  
  
"I think you all need some rest," Bethany says, "this was a tough battle."  
  
With that, the four Rangers teleport to their respective homes to get some well-deserved rest.  
  
~~~  
  
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I got to about the fifteenth page before I hit a writer's block. I wrote a page and a half when I finished this chapter up. Well, as always, please review. Feedback gives me more of a reason to write and update.  
  
By the way, if you want to be included on a mailing list for this fic, just say so in your review, or e-mail me at Silver_Warrior12@yahoo.com. 


	8. A Secret Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. I do own the idea for the Atlantean Rangers and the Zord designs, despite them being compared to previous Zords in a few cases, though those are merely references.  
  
~~  
  
It is two days after Dark Specter had last attacked the Earth. He had sent down a monster that was a humanoid crab. It turned out the monster was merely an alien under a spell and with the combined efforts of Connerly and Alex back at Atlantis, the spell was broken and the alien was freed. He returned home in gratitude to the Atlantean Rangers and told them that if they ever needed his help to just contact him and he would gladly come and help.  
  
"You know, its really too bad that Alex can't join us on the battlefield," Bethany says as they spar.  
  
"Yeah, all of the Morphers have been discovered," Holly adds, "so he won't be as protected as we are if he goes into battle."  
  
"He can't even protect himself as well as any other Power Ranger," Nathan says.  
  
"You know, we could approach Lightspeed Rescue and ask them to build us a Morpher for him," Holly says, "we could power it with Atlantean technology and magic. He won't likely be as strong as an Atlantean Ranger, but he would be stronger than any other Ranger in existence."  
  
"Except for maybe the Gold Zeo Ranger and the Silver Astro Ranger," Ben says, "weren't they the strongest Rangers to ever live besides us?"  
  
"Except for various Red Rangers at certain times," Holly says, "the Red Astro Ranger when he became the Red Battleized Ranger, the Phantom Ranger, the Red Galaxy Ranger when he powered up, any of the Galaxy Rangers when they summoned the Lights of Orion to tell the truth. There was also the Red Lightspeed Ranger when he used the Transarmor Cycle. And possibly the strongest of them all is the Red Time Force Ranger when he uses the Battle Fire to become the Red Battle Warrior. And of course there was the Quantum Ranger when he summoned his armor."  
  
"Do any of the Wild Force Rangers have anything like that?" Ben asks.  
  
"There's only one of them right now, so my guess is no," Holly answers.  
  
"Only one?" Nathan asks, surprised, "their monsters must be pretty weak."  
  
"The Orgs are weak," Connerly says as he walks into the room, "at least, they are now. Magical scans have determined that the Master Org will soon arise. It will likely be next year though. But the Orgs are increasing in strength."  
  
"Why don't any of the other Ranger teams go and help?" Holly asks.  
  
"Since there is a Ranger present fighting them, they feel that they do not need to interfere," Connerly says.  
  
"Can we help them?" Holly asks.  
  
"We could, but if we draw attention to them from the Dark Specter before their full team comes together, they'll be destroyed and their potential will be gone forever," Connerly says.  
  
"Why doesn't the Dark Specter just send an overwhelming invasion force to fight us?" Nathan asks.  
  
"Because he must conserve his power until he is at his true full strength again," Connerly replies, "he is currently at his maximum strength, but he has no reserves. If he attacks full force and all of the Rangers of the universe join together and manage to defeat him and destroy him again, then he'll be gone for good. He's just biding his time until he has his reserves of energy built back up. Then we'll be in serious trouble."  
  
~In Dark Specter's ship~  
  
"My lord, you have a visitor," Darkonda says.  
  
"Show him in," Dark Specter commands.  
  
In walks a devilish-looking creature with dark gray skin, sparse yet wild white hair, and bony armor sticking out at joints and covering his eyes and knuckles. Dark Specter recognizes it immediately and stiffens. It is an Elemental. A Chaos Elemental to be exact. Even the Dark Specter, with the backing of every powerful sorcerer to have lived in the last three thousand years, would hesitate to try and summon forth a Chaos Elemental, much less control one.  
  
The only known being to have ever lived capable of harnessing the power of a Chaos Elemental was the legendary Methus. But even though he was the mightiest mystic to have ever lived on any planet, even his power should have given away and allowed him to succumb to old age around the same time Atlantis fell.  
  
"Dark Specter, I bring greetings from my master, Methus," the Chaos Elemental rumbles in a voice that resembling falling grains of sand on gravel, "he bids you good tidings and congratulations on surviving death."  
  
"What does Methus, father of Lokar, bid of me?" Dark Specter asks, knowing that if Methus truly sent this Chaos Elemental, it would cut straight to the chase and skip the formalities when asked such a question.  
  
"Ah, as impatient as ever," the Chaos Elemental grins, "this meeting will likely turn out just like last time we met."  
  
Dark Specter, though he doesn't show it, begins to feel fear. If this Chaos Elemental was the same he had met the last time Methus had bid him do something, then his level of power would be greatly depleted. Depleted enough with his current level of reserves for that opportunistic Darkonda to try and take over.  
  
"What does he wish of me?" Dark Specter asks again, gaining confidence in the fact that Methus never killed those he "asked" to do something for him unless he was dissatisfied with their work.  
  
"He says that you must find for him the Staff of Kaishin, which is located on the planet you are attacking," the Chaos Elemental says.  
  
"And what do I gain from helping the mighty Methus?" Dark Specter rumbles.  
  
"Why, he will use his vast power to restore a full half of your energy reserves," the Chaos Elemental says with a toothy grin. It is a grin that few rational beings would take comfort in.  
  
Dark Specter's eyes widen and glow even brighter at that prospect. At this current rate, it would take him nearly a hundred more years to gain that much power, though once he gained such energy in reserve the rest would be easy to achieve. While the Dark Specter was patient, he had had more setbacks in the last decade than he had had in the three millennia before he destroyed what he thought would be the greatest threat to his empire, Atlantis.  
  
"Show me an image of this Staff and I will get it for you," Dark Specter says with a wicked grin, "and we will have a bargain made and struck."  
  
"Very well," the Chaos Elemental chuckles, "you really are an impatient one, aren't you? Very well."  
  
The Chaos Elemental forms a small ball of light in his hand and throws it up into the air. It forms a screen that shows a trident, with the staff made of the darkest ebony that seemed to suck in the light itself. The blades of the trident were each of a different color, red, yellow, and green.  
  
The Dark Specter knew the legendary power of the Staff of Kaishin. Unfortunately, its power would do him no good. He did not possess the type of magic required to use its mighty power. Lord Zedd had, but then Zedd had been a sorcerer of great power. The Staff of Kaishin was supposed to be one of the many fabled artifacts capable of accessing a limitless source of power. But none alive knew how to access this fabled power if it truly existed. Then again, Methus was the oldest living being in existence. He probably had every piece of information concerning the artifacts that were linked to this ancient power.  
  
"Where is the Staff of Kaishin?" Dark Specter asks.  
  
"Somewhere on the bottom of the ocean," the Chaos Elemental replies, "apparently, it was on an oceangoing vessel that sank. I think it was called the Titanic."  
  
"Will Methus have any other use for me after this favor?" Dark Specter inquires.  
  
"Since you are the most dominant force of evil in the known universe, more than likely," the Chaos Elemental replies, "do-gooders are no good for jobs like this. It must have something to do with their morals, I guess."  
  
Dark Specter immediately realizes that this Chaos Elemental was being kept on a very short leash. Methus was controlling its every action, including what it said.  
  
"I have come to realize this in the past, revered Methus," Dark Specter says, getting up out of his throne and bowing to the Chaos Elemental.  
  
The Chaos Elemental laughs. "So you figured it out, eh? You're not as stupid as I thought then. Good. That means you will actually stand a chance at completing this task and any future ones I have for you. If any more of the artifacts of the Kairo are in this immediate sector of space, I will come to you to retrieve them. Provided, that is, that these Atlantean Rangers do not destroy you first."  
  
With a mocking laugh, the Chaos Elemental teleports away in a ripple of Space/Time.  
  
"DARKONDA!" Dark Specter bellows.  
  
Darkonda scurries into Dark Specter's throne room. He was afraid, very afraid. He knew that Methus was the only being in existence capable of controlling a Chaos Elemental. And if Methus was coming to the Dark Specter for help, then something big was up. Methus never helped anyone unless they helped him in ways far greater. This war for Earth was now going to come to a close.  
  
"You summoned me, great and mighty Dark Specter?" Darkonda grovels.  
  
"Look at the screen," Dark Specter commands, gesturing to the screen created by the Chaos Elemental, "that is the Staff of Kaishin. Go to Earth, find the place where the ocean vessel known as the Titanic lies, and find it. Take three platoons of Spectrons with you. And take Yado Karu as well. He's been growing restless."  
  
"Yes, my master," Darkonda says with a bow. He turns to exit.  
  
"And Darkonda," Dark Specter says. Darkonda stops and turns his head so he can sideways look at Dark Specter.  
  
"When you find the Staff of Kaishin, leave Yado Karu behind. Let him have some fun in Earth's oceans," Dark Specter says.  
  
"As you wish, mighty Dark Specter," Darkonda says with a maniacal grin.  
  
~The next day, at the local mall, food court~  
  
The four newer Atlantean Rangers had planned a meeting to discuss whom they think their leader was. They had been mulling over the subject for quite some time, but they couldn't come up with any solid evidence to point at any one person.  
  
"Okay, so we know he's about your age," Holly says to Nathan, "he graduated when you did."  
  
"Actually, he was one of those who have to go to summer school to graduate," Bethany reminds her.  
  
"There was only five people there who didn't graduate," Nathan says, "two of them were girls."  
  
"So that narrows everything down to three people," Holly muses.  
  
"Since we stay the same height and relative build when we morph, it actually narrows things down to two," Nathan says, "Jesse is totally the wrong buld to be the Silver Atlantean Ranger. He's a little too flabby. I remember what he was like in the recent school physical: totally out of shape. Even with the Silver Morpher he couldn't trim down that much."  
  
"And the other two?" Holly asks.  
  
"Too tall and too short," Nathan replies, "of course, that's just our school."  
  
"He's right," Ben says, "remember, Alex does have friends that go to the other two high schools, not to mention he likely has friends who go to that Crhistian academy."  
  
"Well, I seriously doubt the Silver Ranger goes to Trinity," Holly replies, "if he failed, then he'd have been drummed out. From the sound of it, he barely passed all of his classes. Students there have to make a certain GPA to stay. So Trinity is out."  
  
"That leaves JCM and Northside," Nathan points out.  
  
"Well, since none of us are friends with Alex, we don't know who many of his other friends are," Ben says.  
  
"By the way, I never asked you how you found us and our Morphers," Nathan says, "and how did the two of you become Atlantean Rangers?"  
  
"Well, I was teleported from my living room on the day I first started my new 'career' as the Bronze Ranger," Bethany replies, "Holly was found out because he Morpher changed into its true form during nother monster attack. And the Silver Ranger found you two. How, we do not know."  
  
"He could have been at the Project Graduation," Nathan says, "but the only people besides South Side students who were there were guests, and you know how we get along with people from the other two schools."  
  
"The guys make idiots of themselves with rampant macho stupidity?" Bethany asks with a saccharine smile.  
  
"And the girls treat each other like trailer park trash," Ben says.  
  
Before they could take the conversation any further, their communicators beep. Bethany activates the speaker on hers after looking around to make sure no one was watching.  
  
"Go ahead," she says softly.  
  
"Guys, we've got a problem," Silver Ranger's voice says from the communicator, "a group of Spectrons appear to be looking for something at the following coordinates. Morph and meet me at the following coordinates: 49º 56' 54" W, 41º 43' 35" N."  
  
"That's the longitude and latitude coordinates of the Titanic!" Ben gasps.  
  
"Say what?" Silver Ranger demands, his voice sharp.  
  
"I find the history of the Titanic fascinating," Ben explains, "those are the approximate coordinates of the stern section."  
  
"Could it be that the Dark Specter is looking for something there?" Nathan asks.  
  
"Who knows?" Ben asks, "people are still exploring the wreck. There's no telling what they could be looking for."  
  
"Well, lets go," Bethany says, "we can't let Dark Specter have anything that he wants."  
  
The four Ranger's quickly exit and find a secluded place just outside the mall.  
  
"It's Morphin' Time!" Bethany calls out, "Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Platinum Power of Atlantis!" Holly calls out.  
  
"Crystal Power of Atlantis!" Nathan calls out.  
  
"White Power of Atlantis!" Ben calls out.  
  
The four Ranger's teleport to the location they had been given.  
  
~At the coordinates 49º 56' 54" W, 41º 43' 35" N~  
  
In four streaks of bronze, platinum, sapphire blue, and white, the four Atlantean Ranger's arrive. The Silver Ranger and the Aqua Ranger were already they. They were on an iceberg that overlooked another iceberg. On the other iceberg was nearly sixty Spectrons and a strange monster.  
  
"Hey, I recognize him from one of the newcasts from a monster attack on Angel Grove," White Ranger comments, "he gave the Astro Rangers a really tough fight with the help of another monster. It was in that battle that they got the Voyager Megazord."  
  
"Yes, it is Darkonda," Silver Ranger says, "but that's odd. He was supposed to have been destroyed along with the Dark Specter just before the final battle with Astronema. And even if he had survived, the wave of pure energy from the shattering of Zordon's energy tube would have destroyed him."  
  
"Either way, he's a tough opponent, right?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"The Atlanteans hardly have any information on him," Silver Ranger replies, "he was after their time. Needless to say, he will be a formidable opponent."  
  
"Any idea what he's looking for?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
"The wreck of the Titanic, obviously," White Ranger says, "this is where it sunk."  
  
"I never did like that movie," Silver Ranger grumbles, "that song was extremely annoying."  
  
"No, it was just Celine Dion's voice," Crystal Ranger says, "the song itself was good."  
  
"You may have a point," Silver Ranger admits, "shall we wait for them to find what they are looking for, or should we just attack now and destroy them all?"  
  
"There's sixty of them," Bronze Ranger points out, "even a spowerful as we are, they still hold the advantage."  
  
"Then let's cut down their numbers with a few well-placed energy attacks," Silver Ranger says, summoning the Silver Staff.  
  
The other Ranger's summon their Staffs as well.  
  
"Group blast?" Aqua Ranger inquires.  
  
"No, strategic shots," Silver Ranger replies, "draw your Blade Blasters as well."  
  
The other five do so.  
  
"Ready?" Silver Ranger asks, "and fire!"  
  
As a unit, the Atlantean Rangers open fire on the Spectrons with their Staffs and Blade Blasters.  
  
"What?" Darkonda growls, "it's the Atlantean Rangers! Destroy them!"  
  
The remaining Spectrons swarm the Atlantean Rangers via teleport. A full third of them had been taken out by the surprise assault by the Ranger's, but they still had the strength of numbers. And Spectrons were superior to anything else any other Ranger team had so far come across.  
  
Needless to say, the Atlantean Ranger's were having one big brawl.  
  
Bronze Ranger had gotten a few quick shots off with her Blade Blaster before trading it away in favor of her Bronze Battle Axe. She carved her way through the swarm of Spectrons skillfully, but for each one she cut down, another took its place.  
  
Platinum Ranger had immediately holstered her Blade Blaster and used her Platinum Partisan. She used her shield to hold off her attackers, preferring to set them up for her teammates to cut down.  
  
White Ranger abandoned all subtlety and just used his White Warhammer to crush Spectron armor like it was paper.  
  
Crystal Ranger used both his Crystal Cutlass and his Blade Blaster in Blade Mode to cut through the Spectrons.  
  
Aqua Ranger immediately summoned his Aqua Double Dirks to cut a swath through the Spectrons.  
  
Silver Ranger used his Silver Saber to take out Spectrons left and right, kicking up snow to obstruct their visuals and cut them down while they are blind while every now and then firing off an energy bolt at the far-off Darkonda who promptly returned fire which the Silver Ranger ducked and allowed to blast a Spectron.  
  
Within half an hour all of the Spectrons are taken care of. The Rangers converge on Darkonda.  
  
"Oh, so you're gonna gang up on me, are ya?" Darkonda sneers as he draws and elongates his sword.  
  
"What are you doing here?" White Ranger demands.  
  
"None of your business!" Darkonda snaps, "as soon as we find what we're looking for, we'll leave."  
  
"We?" Bronze Ranger asks, "um, in case you didn't notice, we just aced your Spectron flunkies. You're alone."  
  
"I don't think so," Darkonda sneers.  
  
Behind the Rangers, a giant shellfish-like monster rises up out of the water. It had a spiral shell that was heavily spiked and was of a yellowish color. Its skin was a deep sea green and its head was almost draconic. It had two crab claws and in one of them was a strange looking trident.  
  
"Ah, the Staff of Kaishin!" Darkonda gloats, "Yado Karu, give it here! Then destroy these pests!"  
  
The monster lobs the trident at Darkonda, but the Platinum Ranger leaps into the air and intercepts the trident.  
  
"Curse you!" Darkonda yells as he charges the Platinum Ranger to get the Staff of Kaishin from her. The Crystal and White Ranger's intercept him and double-team him with a kick to the gut followed by a slash from the Crystal Cutlass and a smashing blow to the back of the head from the White Warhammer.  
  
Darkonda staggers back, obviously dazed from the attacks. He had not expected them to be this strong! They were stronger than that accursed Silver Astro Ranger! They were stronger than the Dark Specter gave them credit for being. Or at least stronger than the Dark Specter let on. It was no wonder that they had decimated the Dark Specter's forces so far. They were far superior to the Spectrons. Heck, they could easily be stronger than Darkonda himself was, and he was now at his prime once again!  
  
Darkonda struggles to regain his composure. He glares at the Atlantean Rangers as the fight off Yado Karu. The Bronze Ranger was using her Bronze Staff to fire bronze colored bolts of energy at the monster's shell. Aqua Ranger was using his Aqua Double Dirks to ward off the monster's claws while having to jump around to keep from getting bitten by the monster's enormous head. The Silver Ranger was using his Silver Staff to send beams of silver colored energy into Yado Karu's eyes in an attempt to blind it.  
  
The Crystal and White Rangers converge on Darkonda with their weapons ready. White Ranger with their weapons: White Ranger with his White Warhammer and the Crystal Ranger using boith his Crystal Cutlass and his Blade Blaster in blade mode. Darkonda parries the Crystal Ranger's attacks while avoiding the White Rangers slams. He parries a thrust from the Crystal Ranger and grabs the Crystal Ranger's right arm and twists violently. He then flings him over his head and slams him hard into the ground. Darkonda then blocks the White Ranger's White Warhammer and kicks him in the gut, sending him flying and crashing through a nearby pinnacle of ice. He sends off a few eye blasts just for the heck of it. Darkonda then starts walking over to the Platinum Ranger, who was holding the Staff of Kaishin, planning to just kill her and take the Staff.  
  
The Silver Ranger, enraged by Darkonda's actions and seeing where he was headed, disengages fighting Yado Karu and changes his Silver Staff into the Silver Saber and launches himself at Darkonda.  
  
"So, another Silver Ranger wishes to take me on," Darkonda sneers, "bring it, child."  
  
The two warriors enter into a fierce display of swordsmanship skill and hand to hand fighting techniques. Darkonda had years of experience of the Silver Ranger, but the Silver Ranger's Morpher gave him reflexes far beyond those of most any sparring partner or opponent than Darkonda could likely find after Zordon's Wave. And the Silver Ranger knew a few tricks. In the end, however, the two were perfectly matched. Neither could gain a clear advantage over the other.  
  
"You're better than I thought you'd be," Darkonda snarls as he locks blades with the Silver Ranger.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't think that an average human teenager, even with the Powers of Atlantis empowering him, wouldn't be able to equal you," Silver Ranger growls.  
  
"Still, you're nowhere near as good as the Silver Astro Ranger," Darkonda says as he frees his blade and kicks the Silver Ranger in the gut, sending him flying through the air. The Silver Ranger teleports midair and appears behind Darkonda, crashing into his back.  
  
"So, you're incorporated your teleportation system into your fighting style, eh?" Darkonda asks, surprise and a small amount of respect apparent in his voice, "very good. Only Trey of Triforia has been able to do that before."  
  
"I know," Silver Ranger says smugly, "I try to emulate all of the best Ranger's. Its harder than it looks."  
  
"I'll bet," Darkonda agrees, "it takes a lot of practice and concentration."  
  
"And a lot of willpower," Silver Ranger replies, "but I sure took you by surprise, didn't I?"  
  
"You won't do it again," Darkonda promises as he prepares to resume the fight.  
  
"We'll see," Silver Ranger replies darkly as he too stances to do battle.  
  
"Silver Ranger, we need some help!" Bronze Ranger calls out. Silver Ranger turns to see that Yado Karu had ahold of the Bronze and Aqua Ranger's in its claws. A moment too late he remembers that you should never turn your back on the enemy in a fight. Especially if that enemy was reputed to be the most dishonest villain in the universe.  
  
Silver Ranger turns back around just in time to see Darkonda's sword slicing down, cutting through his shield and knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Darkonda stalks towards the Platinum Ranger, intent on taking the Staff of Kaishin from her.  
  
"Give me the Staff of Kaishin and I'll let you live, Platinum Ranger," Darkonda growls.  
  
"Not a chance," Platinum Ranger says, drawing her Blade Blaster and firing several shots at Darkonda. Darkonda raises his left arm lazily and the blasts bounce off his palm.  
  
"Pathetic," Darkonda sneers, "just give me the Staff of Kaishin and I'll leave."  
  
"I don't think so," Platinum Ranger says as she converts her Blade Blaster into blade mode and charges Darkonda. Darkonda easily parries her short Blade Blaster expertly with his sword.  
  
Without warning, Darkonda is smashed to the ground by a powerful blow to the back. He gets up to see the Crystal and White Ranger's standing between him and the Platinum Ranger, weapons ready.  
  
"You two couldn't beat me a few moments ago together, so why do you think you stand a chance now?" Darkonda sneers.  
  
"This is how," a feminine voice says from behind him as he is sent flying by a powerful blast of bronze-colored energy. Darkonda gets back to his feet once again, now seeing that the Aqua and Bronze Ranger's are free and Yado Karu writhing in pain.  
  
Darkonda gives out a feral snarl. "You may have won this time, Ranger's, but the Dark Specter will destroy you all!"  
  
Darkonda teleports away, leaving Yado Karu to deal with the Atlantean Ranger's alone.  
  
"Atlantean Staffs, full power!" Silver Ranger commands. All six Ranger's either convert their weapons to Staff mode or summon their Staff and bring their combined power to bear on Yado Karu. The combined every of the six Ranger's completely incinerate the monster, leaving nothing behind.  
  
"Well, that monster's dust," Silver Ranger grumbles, "lets get that Staff back to Atlantis. I'm sure Connerly would dearly love to examine this thing and see what it does, considering that Darkonda was so eager to get it for the Dark Specter."  
  
"Agreed," Platinum Ranger says, "and I'm sure Alex would like to look at it as well. Who knows? With this, he just might be able to join us on the battlefield."  
  
"We can only hope," Silver Ranger says. The six Ranger's teleport back to Atlantis.  
  
~Inside the Dark Specter's ship~  
  
Dark Specter was livid, to say the least. Even Darkonda had never seen him so angry. "YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THE STAFF OF KAISHIN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS WILL COST US? METHUS WILL HAVE BOTH OF OUR HEADS!"  
  
"I know, mighty Dark Specter, but I was unprepared for their strength," Darkonda grovels, "I could have taken them with ease, but I was unprepared to even face them. They are indeed stronger than any other Ranger I have ever faced, including the Silver Astro Ranger."  
  
"Darkonda, we must get the Staff of Kaishin from the Ranger's," Dark Specter says, a hint of desperation in his voice, "Darkonda, find the Ranger's and take the Staff of Kaishin from them. After that, kill them."  
  
"But master, we only know the identity of the Silver Atlantean Ranger," Darkonda protests.  
  
"Then go and capture the Silver Atlantean Ranger at the first chance you get," Dark Specter replies simply, "use him as blackmail to get the Staff. They cannot afford to lose him in this war, for even for the Atlanteans there were so few capable of wielding its incredible power. In the modern age that the Earth is in, only one in a billion would be able to wield its power. There is no telling how long it would take them to find another suitable to use the Silver Morpher. Go and capture him, and then send out a message to the other Ranger's. You know what spell to use."  
  
"Yes, mighty Dark Specter," Darkonda grovels, "it shall be as you wish."  
  
Darkonda teleports away to formulate a plan and then execute it.  
  
"Darkonda, I will be most displeased if you fail me again," Dark Specter says to himself, "I will personally hand you over to my scientists to mutilate if you fail me."  
  
~Back at Atlantis~  
  
"So, you're saying that you don't know what it is or even if it has any power?" Silver Ranger demands.  
  
"Pretty much," Alex says, "Connerly and I can find out nothing about it except for the metal is not from Earth. It is made of a metal that Connerly says is all but indestructible."  
  
"It is also a spell amplifier," Connerly says, "if Alex used a destructive spell with it, he could very well obliterate a city."  
  
"So it's incredibly powerful," Holly says, "can we use it against Dark Specter?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Connerly admits, "its power is unfathomable. I really don't know of any way we can use it against Dark Specter as far as Alex using it in battle because we still haven't come up with the main problem of him joining you in battle: armor. We have no armor that he can use because only a pure blooded Atlantean can use the armor that would prove beneficial. Everything else that we have will not be enough, even with this trident."  
  
"So we should just keep it here until we can use it in some way?" Nathan asks.  
  
"It looks that way," Alex says.  
  
"But why would Dark Specter want it?" Ben asks.  
  
"To enhance his spells," Silver Ranger says simply, "his spells are already fearsome. He may even have planned to use it to bolster the abilities of his minion's, such as their subterfuge spells. If he had managed to get hold of it, there is no telling what he may have been able to do."  
  
"How do you know all of this?" Holly demands, "you were only in two battles before Bethany joined, three before I did. You were only a Ranger a little over a week before any of the rest of us became Ranger's. How do you get your information?"  
  
"Pure speculation, talking with Petite, and checking records," Silver Ranger replies, "I take this very seriously."  
  
"So do we," Holly snaps, "you'd better start working with us more. You still haven't told us your name."  
  
"I don't like you enough to tell you," Silver Ranger replies.  
  
"But you need to work with us, Silver Ranger," Bethany protests, "you need to work with us!"  
  
"I will work with you, I always have," Silver Ranger replies, "but it's my own choice that I don't tell you who I am."  
  
"Enough!" Connerly yells, "quit this petty bickering! You're all on the same side! The Council respects the Silver Ranger's decision to keep his identity hidden and Petite has agreed not to tell anyone without the Silver Ranger's permission. Now, all of you, go home and get some rest. That was a pretty intense battle and you'll need to regain your strength in case the Dark Specter attacks again soon."  
  
The room is lit up with the six teleportation streams of the Atlantean Rangers.  
  
~A few hours later~  
  
Darkonda spies on the house before him. His research had told him that this was where the Silver Atlantean Ranger lived. All he had to do was capture the Silver Ranger and ransom him for the Staff of Kaishin. A little overdone, since practically every villain who had ever attacked the Earth had done this at least a dozen times, but the Ranger's always followed through by providing the ransom.  
  
Jesse was in the backyard, going through a quick kata. He wanted to get into a much better physical shape than hew as. He had never been in a good physical condition in his entire life, and now being a Power Ranger gave him the chance to improve himself. Unfortunately, he had some natural physical deficiencies so his Morpher had a considerable portion of its power going towards making him physically normal, so he didn't have as much potential as the other Rangers, morphed or not. Fortunately, Connerly had told him that when everyone reached their full strength, he would simply be a little stronger than the other five Ranger's. Not by much, but he would be stronger. His powers would eventually cure his eyesight, like the powers of the original Ranger's had done for the original Blue Ranger. But he was rather fond of his glasses, so he had talked with Connerly and they had redirected most of those particular healing energies so that his eyesight was simply stabilized. The power that would have gone towards the healing was now where it would have been in a normal person: everywhere else.  
  
"Hello, little Ranger," a sinister and somewhat familiar voice says from behind Jesse. Jesse whirls around to see Darkonda standing there, sword ready.  
  
Jesse summons his Morpher and prepares to morph. "It's morphing-"  
  
But Darkonda blasts the Silver Morpher out of Jesse's hands and kicks him in the gut. Jesse doubles over in pain as Darkonda wraps an arm around his throat.  
  
"And now, boy, you're gonna do me a favor," Darkonda whispers into Jesse's ear just before he teleports away.  
  
"Connerly, whats wrong?" Holly asks as she, Bethany, Nathan, and Ben rush into the Hall of Heroes after being summoned by the Elder.  
  
"Darkonda has captured a civilian, a friend of the Silver Ranger's in hopes to ransom him for the Staff of Kaishin," Alex replies.  
  
"The Staff of Kaishin?" Holly asks.  
  
"That's what the artifact you retrieved earlier is called," Alex replies, "now, please go to the following coordinates and save the civilian. You're taking the Staff of Kaishin with you because we're more than likely gonna just have to pay the ransom. Darkonda's reputation points to the fact that he'll likely kill the civilian rather than give him up if he can't get the Staff."  
  
"So it's a lose-lose scenario?" Nathan asks.  
  
"It is," Petite says, "because if we let this civilian die, it is likely that the Silver Ranger will quit. We'll have to find and train a new Silver Ranger."  
  
'Actually, he won't quit, he'll be dead,' Alex thinks. He knows Petite knew this as well, but they had to continue to respect Jesse's desire to keep his identity a secret from the other Ranger's.  
  
"Right then," Holly says, "come on, we gotta go save that hostage!"  
  
"It's Morphin time!" Petite calls out.  
  
"Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Platinum Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Crystal Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"White Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Aqua Power of Atlantis!"  
  
Connerly steps up with the Staff of Kaishin and hands it to Platinum Ranger. "If Darkonda reneges on the bargain, you're the best bet to keep it safe. Out of the entire team, only you precise knowledge on how to fight with a weapon like this."  
  
"It is similar enough to the Platinum Partisan," Platinum Ranger agrees.  
  
"Now go and save that hostage!" Alex says pleadingly.  
  
"Right," Aqua Ranger says. The five Ranger's teleport out in streams of appropriately colored light.  
  
~In the middle of the Andes mountains, Peru~  
  
"The Ranger's will never go through wit this," Jesse says defiantly. Darkonda was keeping him under a tight watch. A barrier had been erected that scrambled teleportation signals going out. He was also being held in place by a pair of Spectrons and was surrounded by several others. And unfortunately, they were in some Incan ruins and that would make things a little hazy later.  
  
"I think they will," Darkonda sneers, "you see, in my experience, the Ranger's always look after their own."  
  
Jesse smirks. "One problem. They don't know that I'm one of them. I'm a bit of a distrustful kind of guy and none of them know that I'm the Silver Atlantean Ranger."  
  
"You lie!" Darkonda yells.  
  
"I'm a Ranger," Jesse says, still smirking, Ranger's do not lie."  
  
"Oh, Ranger's lie all right, but I don't think you're lying," Darkonda says, "so as far as their concerned, you're a civilian. That's even better. Ranger's cannot allow others to die in their fight against evil."  
  
"Acceptable losses," Jesse replies, "I've drilled it into their heads, as have our instructors. We have been taught that if we have to sacrifice a civilian to save many more, we will. And since we know what that trident can do, they'll see it as an acceptable loss."  
  
"What kind of Ranger's are you?" Darkonda demands, "you're the most realistic and practical team of Ranger's I have ever met!"  
  
"We don't hold up the ideals of Zordon of Eltare," Jesse replies, "nor do we have the rules of protecting the civilians like the Lightspeed Ranger's nor are we officer's like the Time Force Ranger's. And none of us can qualify for Humanitarian of the Year like the Wild Force Power Ranger's. We know this is a war, and we're prepared to do what it takes to stop evil. Besides, Atlanteans can really bear a grudge, even though it's been twelve thousand years."  
  
"You have no contact with any Atlanteans!" Darkonda yells, "Atlantis was destroyed twelve thousand years ago!"  
  
"You only think it was," Jesse grins, "the Atlanteans have been in hiding for the last twelve thousand years, watching and waiting for the chance to avenge their civilization upon Dark Specter. Now they have their chance, and we Atlantean Ranger's are their instruments in their vengeance."  
  
Darkonda studies Jesse for a moment, then bursts out laughing. "You almost had me going there for a moment! But no matter what, Ranger's are Ranger's and they'll never let a civilian die."  
  
"Maybe," Jesse concedes, "but you never know."  
  
At that moment, the other Ranger's teleport in.  
  
"Okay Darkonda, we brought you the Staff," Aqua Ranger says, "now let the hostage go."  
  
Beneath his helmet, Crystal Ranger's eyes widen. His surprise is evident in his body language.  
  
"What's the matter?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"It's nothing," Crystal Ranger lies. This definitely narrowed down who the Silver Ranger could be. Jesse did not have that many friends, and he doubted that many of them were also friends with Alex. They would likely find out who the Silver Ranger was before the day was out.  
  
"Hand over the Staff and I'll hand him over," Darkonda replies, "he is of no real interest to me. Just a bartering chip."  
  
'He's up to something,' Jesse thinks, 'he could have easily told them just now that I am the Silver Ranger. He's definitely gonna try something. Unfortunately, with all of these Spectrons holding me, I can't get away to morph. I hope they know what they're doing.'  
  
"Here's the Staff of Kaishin, Darkonda," Platinum Ranger says, walking forward with the trident.  
  
"Very good," Darkonda says, "now hand it over."  
  
Behind the group of Spectrons, Alex teleports in an almost invisible streak of white light. He is wearing some Atlantean armor that will hopefully protect him well enough, despite the fact that it slightly lowers his maneuverability. The armor was silver with gold, crimson, and sky blue trim. He was armed with a high-powered laser rifle courtesy of the armory within the Hall of Heroes. He immediately notices the teleportation blocking barrier.  
  
"Not bad," Alex mutters, "Darkonda definitely knows his spells. Now, let's see if I can get Jesse free. I'm glad this helmet does disguise my face so I can't say that I was risking blowing everyone's identity to a civilian."  
  
Alex slowly creeps up behind the Spectrons, laser rifle ready. He carefully raises the rifle and aims it at one of the Spectrons holding Jesse. He squeezes the trigger, letting loose a powerful bolt of energy that rips through three Spectrons. He quickly takes aim and shoots the other Spectron holding Jesse and then scythes through the other Spectrons with deadly accuracy.  
  
'I'm definitely glad Alex loves playing those shooting arcade games,' Jesse thinks, 'but he needn't have truly bothered with the outfit. I can't believe they still bothered to keep my identity a secret. And the secrecy is fun, but it's really annoying. I always have to watch what I say when I'm Jacob. No more.'  
  
Jesse immediately leaps into action and tackles Darkonda, leaving the morphed Ranger's in shock.  
  
"Okay, I knew Jesse was crazy, but I didn't think he was that crazy!" Crystal Ranger exclaims.  
  
"That's the Jesse Plunk you said could be the Silver Ranger?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"He is," Crystal Ranger replies.  
  
Jesse rolls off of Darkonda and crouches into a fighting stance. "Get up, you piece of rat bait!"  
  
Darkonda gets to his feet and levels his sword at Jesse. "You'll pay for that!"  
  
"I doubt it," Jesse says. He reaches into the Power that the Silver Morphers gives him and summons it from his backyard to his hand. "It's Morphin time! Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
In a flash, the Silver Atlantean Ranger is in Jesse's place, ready to face Darkonda. The other Ranger's were surprised to say the least.  
  
"Well, at least he's no longer keeping his identity a secret from the rest of the team," Alex mutters as he finishes the last few Spectrons off with a few well-placed laser blasts.  
  
"Jesse IS the Silver Ranger?" Crystal Ranger gasps in amazement, "but how?"  
  
"I'll explain later," Silver Ranger explains, "I was getting tired of all the deception anyway. Silver Saber!"  
  
The brilliant silver blade appears in the Silver ranger's right hand, gleaming and ready for battle.  
  
"You and me Darkonda, a duel here and now," Silver Ranger says, "winner gets the three-pronged stick."  
  
Darkonda growls. "You're on! I defeated you before and this time I'll kill you!"  
  
Darkonda charges the Silver Ranger and slashes at the Silver Ranger, who parries the attack and delivers a sidekick to Darkonda's chest. He then spins around and slashes at Darkonda's neck, but Darkonda blocks and backhands Silver Ranger, who goes flying through the air and crashes through a wall.  
  
The Silver Ranger slowly picks himself back up, but not before Darkonda got to him. Dakonda kicks the Silver Ranger in the gut, lifting him off the ground with the force of the kick. Silver Ranger rolls out of the way of Darkonda's following stab and spins on his shoulders until he is in a kneeling position. He then leaps shoulder-first into Darkonda, knocking the larger alien off balance and then knees him in the gut. The Silver Ranger leaps back and prepares to fend of Darkonda's next attack.  
  
Darkonda throws several energy blasts at the Silver ranger, but he simply blocks by creating his energy shield with his sword. The blasts pound the shield, driving the Silver Ranger back, but the shield holds. The Silver Ranger counters with an energy blast, but Darkonda blocks it with his hand.  
  
"You are pathetic, Silver Ranger," Darkonda sneers, "you can barely hold off my simplest attacks, and you can't even hurt me."  
  
"We'll see," Silver Ranger mutters as he changes his weapon into Staff mode, "fire!"  
  
Beams of Silver energy emit from the tip of the Silver Staff. Darkonda tries to block the much more powerful bolts of energy, but instead gets sent flying by the resulting explosion. Darkonda staggers to his feet, his breathing short and ragged.  
  
"You'll pay for that, boy," Darkonda growls, "hyah!"  
  
Darkonda launches an incredible blast of energy at the Platinum Ranger, catching her unaware and sending her flying in one direction and the Staff of Kaishin flying in another. Darkonda leaps into the air and grabs the Staff of Kaishin.  
  
"Ta ta, Ranger's," Darkonda laughs, "we'll meet again."  
  
Darkonda teleports away in orange flames with the Staff of Kaishin just before more bolts of energy from the Silver Ranger's Silver staff could hit him.  
  
"Blast! He got away with the Staff."  
  
"Platinum Ranger, are you okay?" Crystal Ranger asks as he helps her to her feet.  
  
"I'm okay, I think," Platinum Ranger replies as she rubs her helmet, "I hit my head, but I should be okay."  
  
"If you hit your head, then don't worry," Silver Ranger says as he walks over to the other Ranger's, "there's nothing important up there to get damaged anyway."  
  
Both of the female Ranger's glare daggers at their leader.  
  
"Did I say something offensive?" Silver Ranger asks, an impish smile underneath his helmet.  
  
"Let's return to Atlantis," Alex says as he walks to the group, "we've got a serious problem here. With the Dark Specter holding the Staff of Kaishin, his spells will get a lot more powerful."  
  
"Right," Bronze Ranger says. The Ranger's and Alex teleport out in seven streams of silver, platinum, bronze, light sapphire blue, and aqua light and two streams of white light.  
  
~Back at Atlantis~  
  
"So you finally decided to let them know who you are, Jesse?" Jacolby asks. The Ranger's, Jacolby, Connerly, the Elder, Alex, and Eleanor are all sitting in a lounge within the Hall of Heroes, talking about what just happened and how to prepare for the onslaught of an even stronger Dark Specter.  
  
"You know, there's something familiar about him," Holly says, "but I can't quite place it."  
  
"Will this help?" Jesse asks, pulling out a small cylinder and focusing a small sprig of magical energy into it, activating it. Instantly, he changes into what he looks like when he is disguised as Jacob.  
  
"Jacob!" Bethany exclaims.  
  
"The one and only," Jesse replies, "I was getting tired of staying morphed, and I felt that it wasn't time to let you all know who I was yet, so I opted for a disguise. Plus, I like keeping secrets. Its always so much fun."  
  
Jesse drops the disguise and becomes himself once again. "I gotta go. This has been a tiring day for me, plus my aunt may wonder where I was. If she does, I'll just tell I went out for a walk. In fact, I think I'll teleport to the park and walk home. It's only a ten minute walk back. Well, see you guys at the next battle."  
  
With that, the Jesse teleports out in a stream of silver light.  
  
"Is he always like that?" Bethany asks Alex.  
  
"Pretty much," Alex replies, "Jesse just isn't comfortable in groups."  
  
"Well, maybe he'll warm up to us," Holly says.  
  
~In Dark Specter's ship~  
  
"Very good Darkonda, you recovered the Staff of Kaishin," Dark Specter rumbles, pleased.  
  
"It was nothing, my master," Darkonda replies as he presents the Staff of Kaishin to the Dark Specter.  
  
At the same instant, the Chaos Elemental appears before them.  
  
"I'll take that," the Chaos Elemental commands. Darkonda hurriedly hands the artifact to the creature. He knew he stood no chance against a Chaos Elemental. Even the Dark Specter, in the state he was in, couldn't defeat a Chaos Elemental in battle.  
  
"My master Methus commends you on a job well done, Dark Specter," the Chaos Elemental says, "if he has need of you again, he will send me to contact you."  
  
"As the Dark Sorcerer commands," Dark Specter replies with a bow. Darkonda was shell-shocked. This was all a job for the Dark Sorcerer Methus? Now he knew why the Dark Specter was so anxious to get the Staff. While it was dangerous to deal with the legendary Dark Sorcerer, the rewards were always more than worth it. Sometimes it was even unclear as to who got the better end of the deal. Darkonda himself knew what it was like to deal with the Dark Sorcerer. After all, that's where his various lives came from. He had done a job for the Dark Sorcerer Methus around seven thousand years ago. He obtained a magical talisman from the people of the planet Mirinoi. He had been driven back by the planet's defenders, the bearer's of the Quasar Saber's, but he had obtained the talisman.  
  
"My master will send you the means to obtain your end of the payment in two months," the Chaos Elemental says, "even for him summoning such a large amount of energy is a formidable task."  
  
"Tell your master that it was a pleasure to perform a task for him," Dark Specter replies, eyes glowing brightly at the thought of regaining a full half of his power.  
  
With a hoarse laugh, the Chaos Elemental teleports out of the Dark Specter's throne room in a ripple of Space/Time.  
  
"Master, what was to be your payment for this task," Darkonda inquires.  
  
"A full half of my energy restored," Dark Specter replies with maniacal glee, "in two months, we shall see the end of the Atlantean Ranger's and conquer the Earth and then the rest of the galaxy! We shall even conquer the Lost Galaxy!"  
  
The Dark Specter laughs evilly, with Darkonda soon joining him. Yes, in two months the whole face of the war would change. And the Garnecia Elephantis would be arriving in a matter of days.  
  
~~  
  
Sorry for the long delay in updating. Writer's block is the bane of the imagination. Well, please tell me what you think. Hopefully the next chapter will come out quicker. And please review. Reviews do help us authors, you know. Flames are welcome too. Maybe you can burn away whatever it is that's causing these blasted allergy problems that I'm having. 


	9. A Lethal Battle

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. The Garnecia Elephantis is from the Yu Gi Oh card game, though I think it has made a brief appearance on the anime. Most of the monsters I've used so far have come from the card game, though a few have come from Magic: The Gathering, though Voricifa and Divorx come from my own twisted and demented imagination. The White Dragon is property of its authoress Anne McCaffrey and Del Rey Books.  
  
~~  
  
The Ranger's were training in the Hall of Heroes, the home base of sorts for the Atlantean Warrior's and now the Atlantean Ranger's. Bethany and Holly were sparring lightly in one corner and Alex and Petite were going through an intense kata. Alex wasn't a Ranger, but he wanted to stay in shape in case they found some power source for him to use to protect himself.  
  
"I still can't believe that Jesse is the Silver Ranger," Nathan says as he lays into a punching bag, "but the Silver Ranger's attitude makes so much sense now."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ben asks, holding, the bag for Nathan.  
  
"Jesse was a social outcast in school," Nathan explains, "he made sure that he had very little to do with girls, or other people in general."  
  
"Is he gay?" Ben asks.  
  
"I'm not gay," Jesse growls as he walks into the gym, dressed for a workout, "I thought I'd been telling people that enough over the years that it'd finally sunk in."  
  
"I never said you were gay," Nathan replies defensively, "I was one of those who believed you. Still thought you were weird for not liking girls, but I didn't think you were gay. Some guys just notice girls later than others."  
  
"I'm never gonna bother with girls," Jesse says adamantly as he stretches, "they're too much of a hassle, you can't understand them, and their the source of constant turmoil. Look at how much trouble throughout history has been caused by females."  
  
"I don't think I appreciate that observation," Holly says. Bethany solidly agrees, a cross look on her face.  
  
Jesse smiles mockingly. "Oh, you're here? I didn't notice."  
  
The two girls glare at their leader, but Jesse ignores them. Jacolby enters the room and immediately feels the tension.  
  
"I take it you need something to do, Jesse," Jacolby says, "well, you all have something new to start studying."  
  
"And what is that?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Etiquette," Eleanor says as she enters the room, "in two days there is a banquet for the nobility of Atlantis. They want to meet the successors to the Atlantean Warriors. Your Morphers could possibly help you through the banquet, but it would be better to just teach you what is needed for Atlantean etiquette. The Morphers will help you learn. Alex, you have an impeccable memory and already know many rules of social gatherings like this."  
  
"So do I," Jesse says, "I took a class called Work Readiness, and it covered etiquette for stuff like a banquet. Though I'll probably need some polishing for the atmosphere of Atlantis. Besides, I'm always willing to learn how to be more of a gentleman so I can act properly around ladies."  
  
"Then why are you always so abrasive to me and Holly?" Beth asks.  
  
"Because the only lady in this room, in my opinion, is Lady Eleanor," Jesse replies coolly. Alex duly noted that only an idiot wouldn't wilt under the twin glares that Holly and Beth were giving Jesse. And in Alex's opinion, Jesse was being an idiot right now and he would not bail him out if he got in trouble.  
  
Luckily, it did not come to Holly and Beth teaming up to rip Jesse's lungs out.  
  
"Jesse, that was unworthy of you!" Eleanor scolds. Jesse hangs his head sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry," he mumbles, just loud enough for everyone to hear. He knew full well that if he didn't say it loud enough, he would be ordered to say it a lot louder, so he decided to head off that indignity.  
  
"Now, clean up and follow me to the Great Hall," Eleanor orders, "I'm going to teach you the customs of Atlantis."  
  
~Dark Specter's ship~  
  
"Dark Specter, the Garnecia Elephantis has arrived," Darkonda says, "there is a comm. screen ready for you to speak to him."  
  
"Very good, Darkonda," Dark Specter says, "leave me."  
  
"As you wish, my lord." Darkonda bows, then exits the Dark Specter's throne room.  
  
A rectangle edged with fire appears before the Dark Specter, showing a purple-skinned monster that resembled a humanoid elephant. Zedd's Octophantom may have supposedly been an incredibly powerful monster, but the Garnecia Elephantis was one of the mightiest creatures in the entire universe. Short of growing spells, only King Mondo's Staroid and Rita Repulsa's Mutitus were even close to matching the Elephantis, and of course they were no match. The incomprehensible Goldgoyle had been extremely powerful, but he had flaws that an experienced team of Rangers could overcome. Those Turbo Rangers, four of whom had become the Astro Rangers, had gotten incredibly lucky in destroying him.  
  
"What is your bidding, all powerful Dark Specter?" the monster within the magical screen asks.  
  
"Ah, my loyal warrior," Dark Specter says, "welcome to this fairly unimportant part of the universe."  
  
"Thank you, Master Dark Specter," the Garnecia Elephantis replies, "what would you have me do?"  
  
"Destroy the Atlantean Rangers," Dark Specter replies.  
  
"Atlantean?" the Garnecia Elephantis replies, puzzled, "didn't we destroy Atlantis twelve thousand years ago?"  
  
"We did," Dark Specter replies, "but apparently the Atlantean Morphers survived. Six of them have so far been located and are being used against me. I want you to destroy the Rangers and their mighty Zords. Even if the last Morpher is found, one Ranger alone could not possibly defeat me, not even one powered by the magic's of Atlantis."  
  
"When do I start?" the Garnecia Elephantis asks, eyes glinting with evil glee at the thought of destroying something."  
  
"Tomorrow," Dark Specter replies, "rest from your journey today and fight the Ranger's at full strength. I will send down the Wolflord of Fire and Earth to soften them up."  
  
"Master, it is not necessary," the Garnecia Elephantis protests, "I will face them on my own!"  
  
"No, you will obey my orders!" Dark Specter commands, "I want the Atlantean Rangers dead! Between the Wolflord of Fire and Earth and yourself, these Ranger's will perish for certain."  
  
"They would fall at my hands even without the Wolflord," the Garnecia Elephantis replies, "but I shall obey your command. I shall rest in the remains of Zedd and Rita's Moon Palace."  
  
"There are no remains," Dark Specter comments, "it was never destroyed. Mondo just ran Zedd, Rita, and their henchmen off and then just ignored it."  
  
"There will be remains about five seconds after I get there," the Garnecia Elephantis replies, "with your leave, my master."  
  
"Go and rest," Dark Specter replies, eyes actually glinting in amusement over the Garnecia Elephantis' sense of humor.  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis teleports in a whorl of purple and white energy.  
  
"Darkonda!" Dark Specter bellows.  
  
Darkonda hurries in. He had never liked the Garnecia Elephantis. The monster was brutally efficient, Darkonda could not deny that, but it was also completely obtuse. It relied completely on brute strength, hardly possessing any skill at all. Its skin was thick enough to repel almost any sword, even those wielded by the various Megazords. Lasers didn't have much affect either. And its skin was also dense enough to take the blows from any bludgeoning weapon without missing a beat.  
  
"Yes, mighty Dark Specter?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"Summon the Wolflord of Fire and Earth," Dark Specter orders, "send him down to Earth. He can choose where he attacks. Just make sure it is heavily populated."  
  
"At once, Dark Specter," Darkonda bows, "shall I send a platoon or two of Spectrons with him?"  
  
"Send down a single platoon," Dark Specter says, "they are to keep all but one Ranger away from the Wolflord. He shall work hard on each one individually, hurting them as much as possible, physically exhausting them as best he can. He will then toss them back to the Spectrons and pick another Ranger out. If he can destroy one, all the better. But he MUST exhaust them physically. He must hurt them as much as possible so the accelerated healing abilities of the Atlantean Morphers cannot completely heal them by tomorrow."  
  
"It shall be as you say, master," Darkonda says, "shall I accompany them? Between the Wolflord and myself, we can harry the Ranger's exceptionally well."  
  
"Do as you wish," Dark Specter says, "you can even attack another location with a platoon of Spectrons."  
  
"Divide and conquer," Darkonda grins, "the oldest strategy, but one that easily works no matter what the circumstances."  
  
"Go and do as I have commanded," Dark Specter orders, "Wear the Ranger's down, kill them if you can. They must not be at full strength when facing the Garnecia Elephantis."  
  
"It shall be done, Dark Specter," Darkonda says with a bow, then exits Dark Specter's throne room.  
  
Dark Specter's cruel, chilling laugh echoes through his throne room. "Soon, the Atlantean Ranger's will fall, and the Earth, and then the universe, shall be mine!"  
  
~At Atlantis~  
  
"How does he do it?" Beth asks in disgust as she watches Jesse perfectly use the manners asked of them by Eleanor.  
  
"Jesse prides himself on being a gentleman," Alex replies, "but in truth, I think its because he reads so much. I expect that the court functions in those fantasy he reads are very similar to Atlantean court behaviors."  
  
"Its disgusting, if you ask me," Holly says, "he tries to be the perfect Ranger."  
  
"If he is, then he's succeeding," Nathan adds.  
  
"Oh, I don't think he's trying to be a perfect Ranger," Ben says, "I think he's succeeding."  
  
"He just puts himself into the training more than you guys because he's always wanted to be a hero, and now he is one," Alex says, "he's always been taught to mind his manners. Thing is, he's also adopted his own code of honor. Apparently, it coincides with the Silver Morpher's Code of Honor."  
  
"The Code of Honor of the Silver Morpher is very loose," Petite says, "and yet very strict. Even under the most powerful of mind control spells, those who wield the Silver Morpher have yet to compromise their integrity. They will willingly give up their lives to save someone else. They are not the most sociable of people, but they do make the best Ranger's."  
  
"Are they immune to spells?" Beth asks, "I remember him telling us about Voricifa, the Mistress of Seduction. He completely ignored her advances, and Connerly said that she used spells to boost her sensuality."  
  
"He was actually able to resist Voricifa?" Petite says, shocked, "unless he is completely devoted to someone else, has interest in men instead of women, or hormonally deficient, he should have done whatever she asked, even if it was sawing off his manhood with a dull knife."  
  
"He's none of the above," Alex says, "at least, he's not devoted to some girl that I know of. He just doesn't have interest in the opposite sex."  
  
"Are you done talking about me?" Jesse asks as he walks up.  
  
'I have got to ask how he does that,' Alex says to himself.  
  
"How do you do that?" Beth demands.  
  
"Ever heard of the Japanese folklore that if you sneeze three times consecutively, someone who doesn't like you is talking about you?" Jesse asks.  
  
"You actually believe that?" Holly asks skeptically.  
  
"Whether or not I believe it, I just sneezed three times consecutively," Jesse replies, "I look over in your direction, and your talking while looking at me fairly often."  
  
"You really do believe that nonsense," Alex chuckles.  
  
"Whether or not I believe it, I got some chores to do at home," Jesse says, "it's too bad that even since our Morphers enhance all of our abilities, I still can't vacuum worth a flip."  
  
With that, Jesse teleports out.  
  
Beth and Holly look at each other and giggle.  
  
"What is the matter ladies?" Eleanor asks as she walks up to them.  
  
"Nothing," Holly grins, "its just that its funny. Jesse is our best fighter since he is the only one of us who completely immerses themselves in the knowledge from the Morphers. He is also very good at Atlantean court behaviors."  
  
"Actually, on the court behaviors he needs a lot of practice," Eleanor grins, "he has the basics down very well, but he couldn't pass off as an Atlantean like that."  
  
"Still, he can do all of those things that we are only barely adequate at, and he can't do the things that we're good at," Beth giggles.  
  
"Jesse's been like that as long as I've known him," Alex says, "it's just the way he is. He prides himself on being different. He even wrote a poem once on being an outcast."  
  
"I remember that poem," Nathan says with a faint smile, "rather, I remember someone telling me about it. A lot of the people who gave him the outcast perspective were in his English II class when he read it. A lot of them still won't look him in the eye, and that was two years ago."  
  
"That must have been some poem," Ben muses.  
  
"No, it just had a lot of emotion in it," Nathan replies, "personally, I'm surprised he didn't get a lot of people extremely mad at him. He practically accused half of the class of having no souls."  
  
"Jesse usually doesn't do something thinking of other peoples feelings," Alex says, "its his most serious fault."  
  
"A pretty big one, I'd say," Holly adds.  
  
"Another one is not being a people person," Beth adds.  
  
"Considering the way he's been treated, I'm not surprised," Petite says.  
  
"Whaddya mean?" Ben asks.  
  
"He has been treated like a total social outcast for the last six years," Alex points out, "even by most of those he considers friends and whose opinions he values."  
  
"Still, we're trying to get to know him and be his friends," Holly protests, "we were all chosen by the Atlantean Morphers to fight Dark Specter and his minions. I, for one, really would like to be his friend."  
  
"He's been burned by most of the new friends he's made since moving her, and he hasn't talked to any of the friends he had before moving to Jackson since he moved," Alex replies, "just give him time. Jesse's not stupid. He knows you're sincere in wanting to be his friend; he just doesn't want to believe it. Just give him his space and he'll come around. I just hope its it's before we have to worry about Y3K."  
  
Beth arches and eyebrow. "He's that that standoffish, is he?"  
  
Jesse plops down on the couch after finishing his chores to rest and catch his breath. Even if he lived a hundred years, he would never learn how to vacuum properly!  
  
"I need some new hobbies," Jesse mutters as he heads to his room, grabs a book, and plops down in the easy chair in his bedroom. He opens the book to his saved spot and resumes reading one of his favorite books, The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey. He admires the dragon on the cover.  
  
"I wish the Silver Dragonzord looked that good," Jesse mutters, "it looks like something a preschooler came up with. I got the short end of the stick in Zord designs."  
  
Jesse reads through the book at his usual pace, starting about a quarter of the way through the book and finishing the book a half hour later. Setting the book down, Jesse goes to find something to eat, only to discover that the only edible things in the kitchen were things he did not know how to cook and baking soda.  
  
"Man, I really hope my aunt cooks tonight or gets something on the way home," Jesse whines as he rummages through the cupboards. Finally, he gives up and heads to the living room to turn on the TV.  
  
Apparently, his aunt had been watching the news before leaving for work. Or a channel that had news shows on it. What he saw surprised him no end. It was a live news feed from Chicago. A humanoid wolf monster wielding a giant double-bladed battle-ax in one hand and had a circular shield in the other was attacking the city. It was slicing through anything that got in its way, occasionally slamming its ax into the ground and sending powerful shockwaves that felled nearby buildings. So far it had avoided destroyed any skyscrapers, but there was no telling how long that would last.  
  
Bringing his communicator to his mouth, he taps the comm. button that would enable him to talk to whoever was keeping a lookout for evil at Atlantis.  
  
"Folks, we have a problem."  
  
The Wolflord of Fire and Earth was having fun for a change. It had been a long time since he had taken time off from being a mercenary and just have fun. And fun for him was terrorizing inhabitants of backwater worlds like this one. He was usually able to do this on the job as well, but it was never the same as doing it for no reason other than the fact that he wanted to do it.  
  
But the Dark Specter had simply told him to do what he loved doing: destroying things. He was given leave to do whatever he wanted, as long as he destroyed or at least horribly wounded the Atlantean Rangers in the process. And since he was being paid in tons of starfire diamonds in advance, he eagerly took the job.  
  
The Wolflord of Fire and Earth slams his ax into the ground, sending out a shockwave that obliterates an armored vehicle that was obviously some sort of weapon that the humans had. Humans were funny creatures, thinking their meager technology could stand up to the unsuppressed might of a being such as himself.  
  
"Hold it right there, bucko!"  
  
The Wolflord turns around to see the six Atlantean Rangers standing there, Blade Blasters drawn and Silver Staff at the ready.  
  
"So, you finally arrived," the Wolflord huffs, "Spectrons! Attack!"  
  
A full platoon of Spectrons appear out of nowhere and attack the Silver, Platinum, White, Crystal, and Aqua Rangers. The Wolflord charges the Bronze Ranger, slamming his ax down into the ground and sending a shockwave of power at his target. The Bronze Ranger leaps out of the way, sending a small flurry of laser bolts from her Blade Blaster that are effortlessly blocked by the Wolflord's shield.  
  
"Pathetic," the Wolflord says, a feral wolfish grin spearing on his muzzle, "I had expected better from Atlantean Ranger. Clearly I was mistaken."  
  
"We've only just begun," Bronze Ranger replies, summoning her Bronze Staff and transforming it into her Bronze Battle Axe, "let's rock."  
  
The two axe-wielding warriors charge each other and clash axe blades, engaging in a furious battle. The Wolflord had strength, size, and experience on his side, as well as a shield to deflect blows from his opponent, but the Bronze Ranger had agility on hers, and it was enough to keep from being totally pummeled by the Wolflord. But in the end, the Wolflord was far too powerful for the Bronze Ranger.  
  
A brutal overhead chop from the Wolflord's ax connects with the Bronze Ranger's shield armor slices through to the bone. The Bronze Ranger immediately teleports out in a streak of bronze light.  
  
"Hey, Fluffy!" a male voice calls out from behind the Wolflord. The Wolflord turns around just in time to see the White Ranger slam his White Warhammer into his chest. The Wolflord staggers back, but soon recovers. As he glances around, he sees that the Spectrons were losing miserably against the Ranger's. Perhaps this plan had a few flaws in it, such as the incompetence of the Spectrons or an underestimation of the abilities of the Atlantean Rangers.  
  
"At last, a challenge," the Worlflord grins, "bring it on, Ranger."  
  
The White Ranger charges in, slamming his White Warhammer into the Wolflord's shield. Thinking his opponent's weapon is out of the way at the moment, the Wolflord raises his ax and chops down with, but is blocked when the White Ranger lifts his left arm and blocks the chop with the lower end of his weapon. The White Ranger spins, bringing his Warhammer around with him, and delivers a mighty blow into the side of the Wolflord, driving the air out of his lungs and caving in some of the Wolflord's vital organs.  
  
The Wolflord barely misses a step, clubbing the White Ranger with his shield, sending the White Ranger flying into the side of a building and knocking him unconscious. Smirking to himself, the Wolflord moves in to inflict more damage, but is stopped by a pair of energy beams hitting the back of his head. Snarling, the Wolflord turns around to see the Crystal and Platinum Rangers with their Blade Blasters drawn. The Aqua and Silver Rangers were still preoccupied with the Spectrons, though they were now dealing with the whole group on their own.  
  
"Bring it on," the Wolflord snarls and slams his axe into the ground, sending out a powerful shockwave that catches the Platinum Ranger completely and sends her flying high into the air. The Platinum Ranger lands on a nearby parked car that was already severely damaged from being grazed by several energy shots from Spectrons and Rangers. The car caves in and explodes around the Platinum Ranger and she is forcibly teleported to Atlantis before she demorphs from the damage she had just received.  
  
"Is this the best that the Atlantean Rangers can do?" the Wolflord snorts, "pathetic. I expected better of the supposed greatest fighting force to ever exist."  
  
"Then let us show you how dangerous we can really be," a voice from behind says. The Wolflord turns around just in time to see the Crystal Ranger slice him across the chest with his Crystal Cutlass. The Wolflord staggers back, but then unleashes a bolt of energy into the Crystal Ranger, who blocks it with his Crystal Cutlass  
  
The Wolflord prepares to unleash an even more powerful attack, but he is knocked to the ground by the White Ranger, who hits the Wolflord full in the back with his White Warhammer.  
  
As the Wolflord gets back to his feet, the Crystal and White Rangers regroup, ready to take the Wolflord on together.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Hush, its not that bad," Eleanor tells the whining Bethany, "but we have to disinfect it before we can apply healing magic to it."  
  
"I know, but it still hurts," Bethany complains.  
  
"Hey, at least you weren't as hurt as Holly," Connerly says soberly, "if we had been a second later in teleporting her out, she would have been gravely injured."  
  
"How is she doing?" Bethany asks, wincing from another cotton swab going through the deep cut on her shoulder.  
  
"She's gonna be fine," Alex says as he applies his healing magic to the unconscious Holly, "but it was a close call. Where did that monster come from?"  
  
"Where else?" Bethany asks, "Dark Specter."  
  
"No, his energy readings are not of those monsters who specifically serve Dark Specter or are created by him," Alex says as he rigidly controls the flow of healing energy, "and its different from anything on file."  
  
"It's a mercenary," Eleanor says, "under Dark Specter's payroll. He must be softening you up for something."  
  
"Yes, the Spectrons did try to keep all but one of us away from the Wolflord," Bethany muses, "and its moves look more to hurt than to kill, though there probably won't be much grief if it did manage to kill one of us."  
  
"It would keep you from forming one of the Binary or Trinary Zords," Alex says as he takes a break from tending Holly's injuries.  
  
"Not only that, but it would stop you from forming the Quadro Megazord or the Silver Atlantean Megazord."  
  
"Silver Atlantean Megazord?" Bethany asks, "Quadro Megazord?"  
  
"The Quadro Megazord is a combination of the Crystal Chimera, White Gargoyle, Platinum Winged Unicorn, and Bronze Griffin Atlantean Zords," Connerly explains, "the Silver Atlantean Megazord is a combination of the four Zords that make up the Quadro Megazord and the Silver Dragon Atlantean Zord."  
  
"And thus our most powerful weapon," Bethany says.  
  
"No, the Aqua Golem Zord can form an Armor Mode for the Quadro Megazord and Silver Atlantean Megazord as well," Connerly says, "the Silver Atlantean Megazord Armor Mode is the most powerful weapon in our entire arsenal."  
  
"So the Dark Specter obviously fears it could beat whatever he's planning, so it must be big," Bethany says, "but what could he be planning?"  
  
Alex sighs. "Connerly, any ideas?"  
  
"None," Connerly replies, "we've detected nothing in the solar system except for communications, but we couldn't crack the magical encryptions. Whatever's going on, its big."  
  
"He's probably using the Staff of Kaishin for something right now and is using the Wolflord as a distraction," Holly observes, surprising everyone. Noone had noticed that she had awakened.  
  
"How's your head?" Alex asks, moving to Holly's side.  
  
"Could be better," Holly groans, "got an Aspirin?"  
  
"Here," Alex says, holding his hand over Holly's forehead. Mint green light flows out of his head and into Holly's head, soothing her headache. "How does that feel?"  
  
Holly smiles. "Much better. How's the battle going?"  
  
"Crystal and White Ranger's are taking on the Wolflord," Connerly replies, "Silver and Aqua Ranger's are dealing with the Spectrons."  
  
"How are Crystal and White Ranger's doing?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Fairly good," Alex replies, "they're not getting their keisters handed to them like you were, but they're not kicking his rear either. It's a stalemate so far. They'll win if either the Silver or Aqua Ranger's can get free of the Spectrons to help them. You two are in no condition to go and help at the moment."  
  
"But they need help!" Bethany protests, then winces as Connerly brushes another cotton swab through the cut on her shoulder, clearing away any foreign particles before applying healing magic. Sapphire blue light emanates from Connerly's hand as the healing magic accelerates Bethany's natural healing ability beyond what the Bronze Morpher gave her.  
  
"Can they win without us?" Holly asks as Alex finishes setting the healing magic into her, letting it do the rest.  
  
"They should be able to," Alex says, "if just the Crystal and White Ranger's are doing this well against him, then if just one more Ranger helps them he'll be finished."  
  
~The Battle~  
  
The Crystal Ranger blocks the Wolflord's axe slash with his Crystal Cutlass, his legs almost buckling under the sheer force he was holding back. The Wolflord had put the force behind one of his earth shattering blows in that strike. The White Ranger slams his White Warhammer into the Wolflord's back, but the mercenary merely shrugs it off and backhands the Crystal Ranger into the air. The Crystal Ranger quickly draws his Blade Blaster and blasts away some of the mercenaries fur. The Wolflord smashes his shield against the side of the Crystal Ranger's helmet and follows up with a kick to the midsection.  
  
An energy bolts rips into the Wolflord's back. Snarling, he turns to look at his attacker. It was the Aqua Ranger. Behind him, the Silver Ranger was dealing with the rest of the Spectrons, including the ones that had been distracting the Aqua Ranger. The Aqua Ranger was holding his Aqua Double Dirks dangerously, poised to strike. He glances at his two teammates.  
  
"You two help the Silver Ranger. I'll deal with this one."  
  
The other two Ranger's look nervously at their teammate. Sure, he was more experienced than they were, but they had just seen this creature take down their most formidable team with ease and had just taken them for a ride.  
  
"You sure man?" Crystal Ranger asks.  
  
"Just do it!" Aqua Ranger orders, "trust me, I can handle this slouch."  
  
"If you say so," Crystal Ranger says, then fires his Blade Blaster at a Spectron that was about to slash the Silver Ranger in the back, then charges into the platoon of Spectrons with the White Ranger close behind.  
  
"You're pretty cocky for such a small Ranger," the Wolflord says mockingly.  
  
"Size matters, not," Aqua Ranger quotes as he leaps forward into a teleport and appears behind the Wolflord, kicking him soundly in the back. He then back flips into another teleport and lands into a head press, driving his heels into the Wolflord's snout, then whirling around, grinding them into the Wolflord's sensitive nose and then kicking him straight in the eye before flipping off of the Wolflord and driving a fist into his gut as he leaps forward and checking him into the side of another building.  
  
The Wolflord slowly pulls himself out of the wreckage. "You're fairly strong for one so small. And fast, though I figured you would have to be fast. But you are dangerous. Very, very dangerous."  
  
"You bet I am," the Aqua Ranger says as he crosses his arms above his head, then slashes down in an "X" pattern, sending out a tremendous blast of energy at the Wolflord who blocks it with his shield. The Wolflord counters by firing flaming energy blasts at the Aqua Ranger in return, but the Aqua Ranger crosses his arms even with his waist and then brings them up, slashing in an "X" pattern. The focal point of the "X" becomes the center of an energy shield that stops the Wolflord's assault.  
  
"And very tricky, it seems," the Wolflord says, dropping into a wary fighting position. The two combatants circle each other warily, neither one wanting to make the first move in case the other can counter it and thus spell disaster for them.  
  
~At Atlantis~  
  
"Wow, look at those two go!" Bethany cries out, watching the battle in a magical viewscreen conjured by Connerly.  
  
"The level of their attacks is above what most Ranger teams are capable of," Connerly says, "in fact, only the Gold Zeo Ranger, the Silver Astro Ranger, and the Magna Defender come close to that level of power. The Titanium Ranger isn't too far behind them, and no one really knows how strong the Phantom Ranger is."  
  
"Its amazing," Holly says, "I didn't think Petite was that strong."  
  
"He's the most experienced member of the team," Alex says, "true, Jesse is more experienced with the Ranger aspect of the Atlantean Morphers, but Petite is more at home with the Atlantean energies. They are unlike any other form of magic in the entire universe. Nothing has been recorded that even comes close except for the Dark Specter's elite henchmen."  
  
"Well, it looks like Petite will be able to destroy that thing while the others take out the Spectrons," Jacolby observes.  
  
"Uh oh, they got company," Bethany says, pointing off in the distance. The distinct ripple of several teleportation signatures is evident.  
  
~The battle~  
  
Darkonda chuckles evilly as he watches the battle. The Crystal and White Ranger's were tired due to their intense fight with the Wolflord, and now they were being swamped by Spectron after Spectron. The Bronze and Platinum Ranger's were gone, presumably too hurt to continue. The Aqua Ranger had its hands full with the Wolflord. The only Ranger present that still seemed in good condition was the Silver Ranger. And that would soon change.  
  
"Oh Silver Ranger!" The Silver Ranger turns around just in time to block a flurry of powerful energy bolts thrown at him by Darkonda with his sword.  
  
"Darkonda," Silver Ranger mutters, "I should have expected you to be here. A sneak attack. How contemptible. How like you."  
  
Darkonda laughs. "Come and test your mettle against me again, Silver Ranger. We didn't rightly finish our last fight."  
  
The Silver Ranger lets out a yell and leaps at Darkonda, hacking and slashing with his sword. Darkonda parries the attacks, laughing maniacally as he punches the Silver Ranger in the gut, following up with a vicious spinning backhand to the jaw that sends the Silver Ranger flying. The Silver Ranger slowly gets up, clutching his sword desperately in his right hand. Darkonda was far stronger than the records indicated. How did he get so strong?  
  
"Is that the best that the most powerful Ranger in the universe can do?" Darkonda asks mockingly, "or are you so pathetic that even your Ranger powers can't help you?"  
  
The Silver Ranger growls and leaps at Darkonda, his sword tip pointed at Darkonda's throat. Darkonda just idly sidesteps the leaping Silver Ranger, at the same time slashing upwards and catching the Silver Ranger in the stomach with his sword, slicing through the Ranger armor but not cutting through the flesh underneath. The Silver Ranger falls to the ground in a heap, clutching at the damage to his outfit with his left hand as he tries desperately to get back to his feet.  
  
"So pitiful," Darkonda sneers, "I think I'll kill you now and let the Garnecia Elephantis take care of your friends tomorrow."  
  
With a yell of desperation, the Silver Ranger hurls his Silver Saber at Darkonda with all his might. The sword flies true, slicing through Darkonda's right shoulder with ease and then clattering onto the ground behind Darkonda.  
  
"A fit of desperation, eh?" Darkonda chuckles, clutching his wounded right shoulder with his left hand, "not bad. But also not good enough."  
  
Darkonda raises his sword and prepares to deliver the final blow, a crushing downward slash that would cut the Silver Ranger's head in half, helmet and all. Darkonda executes the finishing maneuver, but the Silver Ranger is teleported away in a column of silver light.  
  
"Damn!" Darkonda growls, punching the ground with his left fist, "he got away. But I'll get him eventually."  
  
But now only three Ranger's were there to fight the Wolflord, Darkonda, and the Spectrons. Darkonda rushes the Crystal Ranger with a powerful slash, but the Crystal Ranger blocks with his Crystal Cutlass, parrying Darkonda's blade and kneeing the villain in the gut. Darkonda steps back, somewhat impressed.  
  
"Not bad, for a rookie," Darkonda chuckles, "still not as good as your leader though."  
  
Darkonda rushes the Crystal Ranger, hacking, slashing, and thrusting ferociously. It is all that the Crystal Ranger can do to block.  
  
~at Atlantis~  
  
"Hurry up," Jesse growls as Connerly and Alex disinfect his wound and prepare it for their healing magic, "I have to get back out there."  
  
"Easy there, kiddo, that was a nasty cut you took," Jacolby says, "take it easy. You'll be ready for action by tomorrow."  
  
"Good," Jesse says, "I managed to get some info out of Darkonda. He says that the Garnecia Elephantis will be attacking tomorrow. It appears that today's attack is just to soften us up."  
  
"The Garnecia Elephantis?" Connerly asks, "that is one of the Dark Specter's most powerful monsters. Its naturally at Zord size. There are few monsters in the entire universe that big."  
  
"So Dark Specter is pulling out its most fearsome minions, is he?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Apparently so," Connerly says, "Bethany, Holly, you head back to the battle. I hate sending you back into action so soon, but being Morphed will help you heal faster. Take down the Spectrons yourselves so the Crystal and White Rangers can double-team Darkonda. Aqua Ranger is doing fine against the Wolflord."  
  
"Right," Bethany says as Holly gets up off the cot she had been placed in, "it's Morphin time! Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Platinum Power of Atlantis!"  
  
The Bronze and Platinum Ranger's teleport out in streaks of bronze and platinum light.  
  
"Good luck, girls," Jesse sighs as Alex begins applying the healing magic.  
  
"They're strong, they'll make it," Connerly says.  
  
"I know that," Jesse sighs, "I just don't like being left out of the action."  
  
~the battle~  
  
With the appearance of Darkonda, three separate battles were now being fought. One was the Aqua Ranger versus the Wolflord of Fire and earth. The second is the Crystal Ranger versus Darkonda. The third battle is the White Ranger versus a full platoon of Spectrons. Granted, the Spectrons were damaged from fighting the other Ranger's, but their sheer numbers were proving to be too much for the mighty White Atlantean Ranger to handle.  
  
He holds up as best he can, now using his White Staff and Blade Blaster instead of his White Warhammer, and was blasting Spectron after Spectron with Staff and Blade Blaster as soon as he would get a clear shot. However, he was still taking many hits. Twin blasts of energy, one bronze and the other platinum in color, rip through a pair of Spectrons that try to blindside the White Ranger.  
  
"I'm so glad you're hear," the White Ranger says gratefully as he fends off another Spectron.  
  
"Don't mention it," Bronze Ranger says, tearing through a Spectron with a single swipe of her Bronze Battle Axe, "now go help the Crystal Ranger. Platinum Ranger and I will take care of these Spectrons."  
  
"But you were injured!" White Ranger protests.  
  
"We're not so hurt that we can't take care of a few measly Spectrons," Platinum Ranger laughs, twirling her Platinum Partisan around, keeping the trio of Spectrons that were advancing on her at bay.  
  
"If you say so," White Ranger says softly, "take care ladies."  
  
With a yell, White Ranger leaps at Darkonda, swinging for the side of the demonic alien's head. Darkonda ducks and spins around, delivering a powerful kick to White Ranger's gut, sending the White Ranger flying. This gives the Crystal Ranger an opening to slash at Darkonda's unprotected back. Darkonda growls in pain as the Crystal Cutlass chips his back armor, sparks flying. Darkonda whirls around and slashes the Crystal Ranger down, cutting deep into the Crystal Ranger's shield.  
  
White Ranger takes this opportunity to bring his White Warhammer down on the center of the cut that the Crystal Ranger had made. Snarling in pain, Darkonda turns and fires a full power magical blast point blank into the White Ranger's shield. The blast has enough force to completely shatter the White Ranger's shield, revealing the solid white bodysuit that covered the White Ranger's torso. The blast is enough to singe the bodysuit as well and send the White Ranger crashing into a street post. The White Ranger crumples down to the ground, dazed but relatively unharmed.  
  
Crystal Ranger, upon seeing what Darkonda has done to his friend, cuts loose into Darkonda in pure unchecked fury, drawing his Blade Blaster in Blade Mode, he attacks Darkonda with both Crystal Cutlass and Blade Blaster. Darkonda is barely able to block the onslaught. The pain from the concentrated attack into the new niche in his natural armor is diverting his attention just enough to make it hard to fully concentrate on this fight. The evil alien delivers a cruel left uppercut to just under the Crystal Ranger's jaw, sending him soaring across the street to crumple into the ground, out cold.  
  
"NO!" Darkonda turns around when he hears the enrage cry. He turns around just in time to take the White Warhammer full in the face as the White Ranger slams it in down hard. Darkonda backpedals. That attack had hurt! Not a large amount, but it had hurt. It had penetrated the defenses he had at half power. These Atlantean Rangers were stronger than anticipated. They were above the power levels of any of the other groups of Power Rangers to surface. The Astro Ranger's weren't even half as strong as these Atlantean Ranger's. Not even the Silver Astro Ranger or the Gold Ranger were this strong, and they were the two most powerful Ranger's to ever face the forces of evil.  
  
"Grr, that hurt," Darkonda snarls, bringing his hand to his smashed face.  
  
"It was supposed to," White Ranger says coldly, readying for another swing.  
  
Darkonda, knowing that his wounds were too serious to risk more surprises like this, and with Ranger's the surprises always seemed to be on their side, decides that leaving now would be a good idea if he wanted to keep all nine of his lives and his full power. He teleports out in a whorl of red energy tinged with white.  
  
White Ranger looks at Crystal Ranger as the Crystal Ranger gets back on his feet and shrugs. "Well, what do you except from scum?"  
  
"True," Crystal Ranger admits, "you go help the girls, I'll go help Aqua Ranger."  
  
"Gotcha," White Ranger replies, "good luck. That guy is tough."  
  
White Ranger changes his White Warhammer into the White Staff and sends out several energy blasts at the Spectrons. Crystal Ranger leaps at the Wolflord from behind, slashing at the bounty hunter's back.  
  
The Wolflord turns and blocks the slash with his shield, then slams his axe into the Crystal Ranger's side. The axe blade buries itself into the Crystal Ranger's side, but luckily it does not piece the armor. The Crystal Ranger is knocked into the side of a nearby building from the force of the blow.  
  
Taking advantage of the distraction, the Aqua Ranger drives both of his Aqua Double Dirks into the kidneys of the Wolflord, causing the Wolflord to scream in pain. He twists around, wrenching the Double Dirks from the Aqua Ranger's grasp and slams his shield into the Aqua Ranger's gut, sending the short Ranger crashing to the ground.  
  
Just as the Wolflord is about to advance on the Crystal Ranger, a white energy blasts hits his left shoulder. He turns to see the White Ranger with his White Staff ready for battle.  
  
"So, you'll challenge me too?" the Wolflord scoffs, "I've taken out everyone else on your team at one time or another. Granted the Aqua Ranger was very formidable, but he fell to my power as well. What makes you think you're any different?"  
  
"Because he has back-up," a calm feminine voice says from behind. The Wolflord turns to see the Bronze and Platinum Rangers facing him with their Blade Blasters pointed right at his head. They both open fire, salvo after salvo of bronze and platinum energy pouring into the Wolflord's skull at near-point-blank range at full power. The energy eats into the Wolflord's flesh and sears his skin, boiling his eyes as the energy bolts hit him and go through his eyes straight to his brain. A few seconds later his magical energy erupts in his death and destroys his body.  
  
The Ranger's sag their shoulders in relief. They had one. They were heavily injured, but they had won. The White Ranger lifts the Crystal Ranger up, the Crystal Ranger slinging an arm around the White Ranger's shoulders for support while the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's help the Aqua Ranger to his feet.  
  
"Let's get back," Crystal Ranger says, "we could all use some rest."  
  
The Bronze and Platinum Ranger's nod wearily. In flashes of multi-colored light, the five Ranger's teleport back to Atlantis.  
  
~Dark Specter's ship~  
  
"Curse those Ranger's!" Dark Specter growls, slamming his fist into the armrest of his throne, "Darkonda, get in here!"  
  
"Yes, master?" Darkonda grovels as he walks into Dark Specter's throne room.  
  
"Why didn't you stay to help the Wolflord?" Dark Specter demands, his eyes the color of molten copper.  
  
"Because, master, I did not wish to lose one of my lives and my full power," Darkonda replies, "I wasn't using my full power anyway. If you give me a half hour's warning before the next battle, I can perform the ritual that will grant me my full power. Then the Ranger's will be history!"  
  
"Very well," Dark Specter says, "you still did well. The Ranger's are injured and will not be fully healed by tomorrow. Then the Garnecia Elephantis will destroy the Ranger's once and for all!"  
  
~back at Atlantis~  
  
"Well, I must say you did very well," the Elder tells to the Ranger's, "yes, you sustained injuries, but you did win. In two days the healing magic will have fully set in along with your powers and you will be back at 100%."  
  
"One problem, Elder," Jesse interrupts, "when I was fighting Darkonda he said that Dark Specter had called in the Garnecia Elephantis. We should expect another fight today or a fight tomorrow."  
  
"The Garnecia Elephantis?" the Elder gulps, "that monster is one of the most powerful monsters in Dark Specters army."  
  
"Then we had best be on our guard," Jesse says as he sits up in, "Darkonda said that the Garnecia Elephantis would attack tomorrow, but since we got away with minimal injuries Dark Specter might send it down today."  
  
"The Garnecia Elephantis is a gigantic monster, the size of your Zords in Warrior mode," Connerly says, "if it attacks, it will be a Zord battle. While not directly influenced, you will are physically tested with each Zord battle. Injured as you are, you may not be able to win a battle with the Garnecia Elephantis, even with the Atlantean Megazord."  
  
"Then we had best hope that it does attack tomorrow and not today," Alex says, "your Morphers and the healing magic we have placed on you should have you healed up to about eighty percent. By tomorrow night you should be fully healed."  
  
"That's good," Bethany says, "what about Petite?"  
  
"My repair systems are much more sophisticated than your healing powers," Petite replies, "I will be at one hundred percent within two hours. I am currently at eighty percent."  
  
"Good," Jesse says, "its still fairly early in the afternoon, so we should take the day off and relax. That's just a suggestion though. And I really need to get home. Aunt's probably worried about me. At least I've always been in a habit of walking up to the nearby park and just relaxing there."  
  
With that, Jesse nods and teleports out in a stream of silver light.  
  
"Just great, not only do we have a banquet the day after tomorrow, but we have a powerful monster to worry about as well," Ben grumbles.  
  
"At least I don't have to worry about the monster that much," Alex remarks, "though I do need to rest to recharge the energy I used to heal you guys."  
  
"And you have to worry about the banquet as well," Holly points out.  
  
"I may need to make more of an impression than the rest of you," Alex says, "I'm not even a Ranger. But I need to be heading home as well. I don't have handy excuses like Jesse does. I'll see you all tomorrow."  
  
With that, Alex teleports out in a stream of white light.  
  
"We all need to get back home as well," Bethany says, "our parents are probably a little worried as well."  
  
"Not mine," Nathan says, "they think I'm hanging out with Ben till seven."  
  
"Same with mine," Ben adds.  
  
"You should still go home and rest," Eleanor says, "you've had a busy day of training, learning Atlantean etiquette, and a very harsh battle. Take the rest of the day off."  
  
"Sure thing ma'am," Ben says. The four Ranger's teleport out in streams of platinum, bronze, white, and light blue light.  
  
~the moon, location of the remains of the former palace of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd~  
  
A set of blood-red eyes gaze at the Earth. The eastern portion of the Eurasian supercontinent and the northern part of Australia were in view at the moment. The owner of the eyes was a gigantic creature, the size of a Megazord. It has purple skin and wore a skirt-like garment covering its lower torso and upper leg area. It wore a necklace-like breastplate that had brightly colored clothe attached to it in an ornamental fashion. It had gigantic ivory tusks strong enough to penetrate Zord armor. A short distance away the creature's large jagged sword was stuck into the ground.  
  
"So, this is Earth," the creature muses, "hardly a fitting conquest for the mighty Dark Specter. And yet so many evil warlords have tried to conquer it. Rita Repulsa. Lord Zedd. The Machine Empire. The Space Pirate Queen Divatox. The Princess of Evil Astronema. And then there are these evils that are from Earth's own past. The Demon Queen Bansheera. The mutants that attack that one city, Silver Hills. And these 'Orgs' that attack that town Turtle Cove. Such a small, insignificant planet, and yet it has attracted the most evil beings the galaxy has ever seen. And now it has attracted my lord Dark Specter, who has summoned me. And then there was the insidious Count Dregon who fought his nephew the Masked Rider."  
  
The creature, dark Specter's mighty giant warrior the Garnecia Elephantis, smirks evilly, his tusks gleaming in the light that barely caps the Earth from the systems star.  
  
"So many Power Ranger's," the Garnecia Elephantis smirks, "I shall enjoy destroying them all. I will have fun destroying the Ranger's who served under Zordon, and especially have fun destroying the Astro Ranger's. These other Ranger's are weak, but it will still be fun to destroy them. They still hold the same noble ideals as any that served Zordon. But the most challenging to face will be these so-called Atlantean Ranger's. But they cannot be Ranger's of Atlantis. Atlantis had no Power Ranger's, only the Atlantean Warrior's. The colors match up, though there is no Green Atlantean Ranger. Not yet, at least. But powered by the magic of Atlantis or not, they shall fall by my hand!"  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis prepares for the coming battle, making sure that his weapon is in perfect condition and his body is thirsting for true destruction, murder, and mayhem.  
  
A low evil laugh bubbles forth from the throat of the Garnecia Elephantis as he thinks of the slaughter that he will create tomorrow.  
  
And from the top of a crater not far from the former Moon Palace, a pair of blood-red inhuman eyes watch the Garnecia Elephantis with complete and utter disdain.  
  
~~  
  
You know, there's nothing that'll get your own mind running smoothly like reading someone else's work of the same genre that you're writing. For me, reading the works of Ellen Brand get my mind flaring and my fingers flying. I suggest that you read any of her Personality Conflicts Series. Just copy and paste this link - www. ted posting them. He updates fairly often, too. Twice a month is the least so far, I think.  
  
Please review. Reviews make me try harder at continuing a story. And if you're an anime fan, particularly of Digimon and Dragon Ball Z, check out some of my other stories. 


	10. The Silver Atlantean MegaZord

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. The Atlantean Rangers are my idea and neither their costumes, Zords, or weapons are based off of a sentai that has not made it to America yet. The Garnecia Elephantis is from the Yu Gi Oh card game though I think it made a small appearance in the anime.  
  
~~  
  
It is the day after the battle the Atlantean Ranger's had with the Wolflord of Fire and Earth, the most powerful entity that the Atlantean Ranger's have faced yet. The six teenage superheroes had managed to defeat it, but not without sustaining heavy injuries. It would take the worst injured of them, Bethany Black the Bronze Atlantean Ranger, a few more days to fully heal.  
  
But they did not have those days to rest and recover. During the fight, the Silver Atlantean Ranger had faced off against Darkonda, a powerful minion of evil, and learned that a monster known as the Garnecia Elephantis had arrived or would soon arrive. Either way, they were expecting an attack and they expected it today.  
  
And to top it all off, tomorrow they had a banquet in their honor at Atlantis to introduce the inheritors of the Atlantean Morphers to the nobility. None of the Ranger's really knew what would happen if the nobility did not approve of them, but they were all gonna try to make sure that they didn't find out.  
  
"Blast it dude, where are you?" Alex demands angrily. He was waiting in his backyard for Jesse to arrive. Once he did arrive, they would be heading for Atlantis to continue their quick training in Atlantean court etiquette.  
  
"Right behind you." With a cry of surprise, Alex turns around.  
  
"Darn it, Jesse, don't scare me like that!"  
  
"We really shouldn't meet and then teleport to Atlantis," Jesse says, "it could make dark Specter think you're a Ranger if he's keeping an eye on me."  
  
"I think I'll risk it," Alex replies, "and Connerly and I have been researching how the Morphers were made. If our luck holds out, we might be able to make one. Not as strong as your Morpher, certainly not, but perhaps somewhat weaker than Petite's."  
  
"What about recreating the Green Morpher?" Jesse asks.  
  
"No can do," Alex replies, "not sure why, but we can't. Something to do with the specific energies that the colors have. No, if we create a new Morpher, it'll be Red, Yellow, Gold, or Blue."  
  
"Why those colors?" Jesse asks, puzzled.  
  
"Dunno why those specific colors," Alex says, the same puzzled look on his face, "it'll require further research."  
  
"Anyway, we'd better teleport," Jesse says, "Spectrons can come at us by the platoon out here and we wouldn't stand a chance."  
  
"Quite," Alex agrees, and the two teleport to Atlantis in streaks of silver and white light.  
  
~at Atlantis~  
  
"No attacks so far?" Jesse asks as he and Alex walk up to Connerly.  
  
"Nothing at all," Connerly replies, "we've even been checking as much as we can of the rest of the universe, and still nothing."  
  
"How far can you scan?" Alex wonders.  
  
"Up to the planet Phaedos at the farthest it ever is from Earth," Connerly replies, "we can pick up KO-35, Eltare, Edenoi, Aquitar, Inquiris, Triforia easily, so if they get attacked by Dark Specter, then we can rush to their aid."  
  
Jesse nods his approval, then walks off to find Eleanor to continue the etiquette lessons. Alex, on the other hand, continues talking with Connerly and the discussion leads to Alex asking about more research on creating another Atlantean Morpher.  
  
"I wish it were otherwise, Alex, but it cannot be done. The Atlantean Morphers are each powered by a special gem, and there are not many in existence. The gem is melted and mixed with the material that the Morphers themselves are made from. And each gem determines the color of the Morpher. There are only thirteen known gems in existence, and all of their colors are accounted for."  
  
"What do you mean, accounted for?" Alex demands.  
  
"There was another team of warrior's that protected Atlantis before the Atlantean Warrior's," Connerly replies, "there were seven of them, and they were the elite warrior's of the Royal House of Atlantean Empire, and were called the Imperial Warrior's, though now they could possibly be called the Imperial Ranger's as well. Anyone could use their Morphers. There was the Gray Morpher, which was the counterpart to the Green Morpher of the Atlantean Warrior's. Then there was the Brown Morpher, counterpart to the Aqua Morpher. Then there was the Orange Morpher, counterpart to the White Morpher. There was also the Pearl Morpher, counterpart to the Crystal Morpher. Also there was the Purple Morpher, counterpart to the Platinum Morpher. There was also the Copper Morpher, counterpart to the Bronze Morpher."  
  
"You said there were thirteen gems, but if there were seven Imperial Warrior's and seven Atlantean Warrior's," Alex states, "there should be fourteen."  
  
"The thirteenth gem had two colors in it, and it held unfathomable power," Connerly says slowly, "the two colors held within it were silver and black, and the colors were swirled together so tightly is was not possible to separate them even if it was melted. It was also somewhat larger than the others. Among the Imperial Morphers, it alone required the bearer to stand up to a code of ethics, because it was inherent in the gem itself and not programmed by the sorcerers and smiths who created them. It was also the first made. It created the leader of the Imperial Warrior's, who was simply known as The Warrior. The others were made, and the team was completed."  
  
"So you had a powerful team to protect Atlantis," Alex says, "so what happened?"  
  
"Well, as I said, the Imperial Morphers, save for that of The Warrior, required no code of ethics," Connerly explains, "as time went by, people with cruel hearts came to possess the Morphers, and later some were stolen. Finally, even the Morpher of The Warrior succumbed to the evil lure. At that time, it did not require such a stringent code of conduct and chivalry, so an evil person could gain its power. When that happened, the Council took steps and created the Atlantean Morphers, complete with the Codes of Honor as part of the activation magic. Six met seven in battle, with The Warrior merely standing back to watch. The Imperial Warrior's were defeated, and their very beings were encased in their Morphers. But none of the new Atlantean Warrior's were prepared to face The Warrior. The battle was long and gruesome, and all of those who had taken up the Atlantean Morphers had perished in battle."  
  
"So what happened after that?" Alex asks.  
  
"No one knows," Connerly replies, "The Warrior just vanished, and soon afterwards the Silver Morpher appeared with the other Atlantean Morphers. We don't know what happened. But after that, we had the seven Atlantean Warrior's until Dark Specter attacked."  
  
"So The Warrior may still be out there, somehow?" Alex asks.  
  
Connerly nods his head. "Perhaps. But I do hope that the Morpher is, and not the one who wielded it."  
  
"How could he be alive?" Alex asks, "surely he's died of old age by now."  
  
"Probably, but there is still so much about the power gems that are the true source of the Morphers powers that we don't know," Connerly replies, "much was lost over the years. We may eventually be able to make you a Morpher, if we can find some alternate power source, but for now you're stuck on the sidelines."  
  
"I guess I'll just have to deal with it," Alex sighs, "well, thanks for helping me Connerly. I'd better go on and get on to the etiquette lessons."  
  
Connerly nods his head and Alex takes off.  
  
At the banquet hall, Eleanor and Petite were showing the Ranger's the proper table manners expected of them. So far, all of the Ranger's were doing exceptionally well with both Eleanor and Petite showing them. Petite worked with Jesse, Ben, and Nathan while Eleanor worked with Holly and Bethany.  
  
"I ain't doin' it!" Alex easily identified that as Jesse's voice.  
  
"But you must," Eleanor replies calmly, "you do want to make a good impression, do you not?"  
  
"I can make a good impression without dancing," Jesse retorts, his disgust at the thought evident in his voice.  
  
"You just don't wanna do it because you can't dance," Alex says with a smirk as he walks into the great hall. Jesse gives his best friend a betrayed look.  
  
"I thought you were my friend," Jesse protests, "I can't help it if I can't dance."  
  
"Jesse, you can't dance because you've only been to one party that had dancing since I've met you," Alex points out, "and that was Lindsey's birthday party."  
  
"Yeah, so?" Jesse retorts.  
  
"So you have not had a chance to learn," Bethany points out, "you could learn now."  
  
"And if I don't wanna?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Jesse, you're acting like a child," Alex says, exasperated, "just shut up and learn. It's not that big a deal."  
  
Jesse grumbles but tries to learn. The other Ranger's quickly discover that, despite being a good fighter with the help of the Silver Morpher, he had two left feet when it came to dancing. An hour later and they decide to stop for a break. Mainly, a break from Jesse stepping on the girls' feet.  
  
"How can someone so good at fighting be so lousy at dancing?" Holly grouses as she rubs her feet, sore from Jesse stepping on them for the last twenty minutes.  
  
"I told you, I cannot dance," Jesse says fervently.  
  
"We should have listened," Bethany grumbles. Her feet were sore from her turn at trying to teach Jesse to dance. In fact, of the three women who had tried to teach Jesse to dance, only Eleanor had gotten away without getting her feet stepped on.  
  
"Eleanor, how did your feet not get stepped on?" Holly complains.  
  
"She has faster reflexes than you do," Jesse points out, "now you see why I was so adamant about this?"  
  
"Is he always like this when he gets to say 'I told you so'?" Bethany asks Alex.  
  
"Yup," Alex chuckles, "saying 'I told you so' is one of Jesse's favorite things to do."  
  
Connerly rushes into the Great Hall. "Big trouble in Los Angeles."  
  
"How big?" Jesse asks.  
  
"Zord big," Connerly replies, "you're gonna need everything you got. It's the Garnecia Elephantis."  
  
Eleanor pales. "How did Dark Specter summon that horrible beast?"  
  
"I have no idea," Connerly replies, "but we'll find out eventually,"  
  
"Big or not, it's our duty to take it down," Jesse says as he and the other Ranger's summon their Morphers, "it's Morphin Time! Silver Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Platinum Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Crystal Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"White Power of Atlantis!"  
  
"Aqua Power of Atlantis!"  
  
~Los Angeles, downtown  
  
The elephant-like Garnecia Elephantis stomps through downtown Los Angeles, relishing the destruction he was causing. A single sword swipe destroys another building, cutting through the support structure and causing the upper floors to come crashing down on the lower floors. The impact causes the entire building the crumble to the ground. Anyone who was still inside had no chance of survival.  
  
An array of energy blasts hit the Garnecia Elephantis in the back. He turns to see the Atlantean Zords, in their creature modes, facing him. He laughs and charges the Silver Dragon Atlantean Zord, slashing into its chest with his sword. The Silver Dragon Zord screeches in pain as its pilot inside feels the same pain. The White Gargoyle Zord and Aqua Golem Zord grab the Garnecia Elephantis from behind and teleport away with it so the battle does not do any more damage. The other Atlantean Zords soon follow in gigantic columns of multi-colored light.  
  
~Mohave Desert~  
  
The two Atlantean Zords and the Garnecia Elephantis appear in columns of white and aqua light and a whorl of purple and white energy. The Garnecia, now that it could move, shrugs off the two Zords like they were nothing. It turns around and slams its meaty left fist into the chest of the White Gargoyle Zord, sending the Zord flying. A blast of energy from the mouth of the Silver Dragon Zord hits the Garnecia Elephantis in the back, distracting it long enough for the other Zords to regroup.  
  
"Silver Dragon Zord, Warrior Mode!" Silver Ranger calls out. The Silver Dragon Zord changes into its mighty Warrior Mode and draws its sword and advances on the Garnecia Elephantis. The Silver Warrior Zord slashes at the Garnecia Elephantis, but the monsters thick hide deflects the blade, stupefying the Silver Ranger long enough for the Garnecia Elephantis to ram its meaty fist into the chest of the Silver Warrior Zord, denting its armor.  
  
"That hide is thick!" Silver Ranger exclaims as the White Gargoyle and Aqua Golem Zords help his Zord to his feet, "Bronze Ranger, White Ranger, got an idea. A sword is a mighty weapon, but the strength of the blow is spread out among the entire blade. Your weapons focus the entire force of the attack in a much smaller area. Convert to Warrior Mode and attack with your weapons. The rest of us will try to keep the Garnecia Elephantis distracted with energy blasts."  
  
The Silver Warrior Zord returns to Dragon Mode and fires a breath blast of sizzling silver energy at the Garnecia Elephantis while the White Gargoyle and Bronze Griffin Zords change into their Warrior Modes and draw their weapons. The two Zords advance on the Garnecia Elephantis while the other four Zords take up strategic locations to fire energy blasts at it.  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis blocks the White Gargoyle Warhammer with his sword and grabs haft of the Bronze Griffin Battle Axe. He proceeds to push back against the Zords, sending them to the ground. He is immediately blasted by the breath blast of the Silver Dragon Zord and an energy blast from the horn of the Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord. The Crystal Chimera Zord opens the mouths of the main head, that of the lion, and the goat head while the serpent tail moves up like a scorpion tail. The three heads each open their mouths and fire at the same point, which creates an even more powerful blast the slams into the Garnecia Elephantis, staggering it a small bit. The Aqua Golem Zord pelts it with blasts from its eye laser.  
  
"So, you trying to work as a team and wear me down, eh?" the Garnecia Elephantis snorts, "try this!"  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis raises its left arm and points it at the Aqua Golem Zord palm out. Purple and white energy coalesce into a sphere in its palm before shooting out and slamming into the Aqua Golem Zord, sending it down sparking from the heavy damage.  
  
"Crap, this thing is just too strong!" Silver Ranger says, "let's try Ternary MegaZord Two and Binary Zord One."  
  
"The Ternary MegaZord Two?" White Ranger asks.  
  
"Combo of my Zord, your Zord, and Crystal Ranger's Zord," Silver Ranger responds, "Bronze Ranger, Platinum Ranger, you two keep this freak busy until we can get the Ternary MegaZord Two up and running."  
  
"But we don't know how!" White Ranger protests.  
  
"Like you didn't know how to form the Binary Zord Two?" Silver Ranger points out.  
  
"Good point," Crystal Ranger says, "the Morphers will guide us?"  
  
"The Morphers will guide us," Silver Ranger confirms, "okay ladies, show that elephant the meaning of girl power! Aqua Ranger, help them out."  
  
"Thought you'd never ask," Platinum Ranger chuckles as she fires bolt after bolt of energy from her Zord's horn, raining down enough energy to pause the Garnecia Elephantis long enough for the Bronze Warrior Zord to slam its Bronze Griffin Battle Axe into the right shoulder of the Garnecia Elephantis, leaving an indenture that was easy to see. However, it did not penetrate the Garnecia Elephantis' thick hide.  
  
Bronze Ranger gulps as the Garnecia Elephantis raises its left fist for a counter blow. It never comes as the Aqua Golem Zord slams itself into the Garnecia Elephantis with enough force to send the beast staggering, but not to its knees. The Garnecia Elephantis steadies itself and fixes an evil look on the two ground Zords.  
  
"I hope the guys get back soon," Bronze Ranger gulps as the Garnecia Elephantis advances towards the two Zords.  
  
"Okay, lets do it," White Ranger says, his Zord back in its Gargoyle Mode.  
  
"Initiate Ternary MegaZord Two!" Crystal, White, and Silver Ranger's call out. The Silver Dragon Zord shifts its form, the wings folding over the front of its body. The legs and left arm retract into its body while the dragon head folds over the chest, forming a sort of armor, while the right arm folds over on itself, creating a thicker upper arm. The White Gargoyle Zord shifts its form, its arms sliding over the legs like a set of armor while the body opens up and parts move until the White Gargoyle Zord becomes a pair of legs. The wings of the White Gargoyle Zord slide over the newly made legs of the Ternary MegaZord Two and become smooth, like armored leggings of a medieval knight. The Silver Dragon Zord connects to the White Gargoyle Zord, forming the legs and torso of the Ternary MegaZord Two. The Crystal Chimera Zord goes through a startling change as the body splits apart, the part with the lion head reforming and connecting to the right arm of the Ternary MegaZord Two with the lion head connecting it directly to the upper arm formed by the right arm and hand of the Silver Dragon Zord while the goat head became the new left shoulder and the serpent head and body became a whiplike weapon connected to the new wrist while a panel opened up just in front of the new eapon and a hand slid out. The Silver Dragon Saber, White Gargoyle Warhammer, and Crystal Chimera Cutlass all come together, the Crystal Chimera Cutlass connecting to the end of the haft of the White Gargoyle Warhammer. The Silver Dragon Saber slides into the hammer head of the White Gargoyle Warhammer, forming a true scythe: the Ternary Scythe.  
  
"Ternary MegaZord Two, power up!" the three Ranger's in control of the Ternary MegaZord Two call out in unison.  
  
"White Ranger, your in charge of energy modulation," Silver Ranger says, "Crystal Ranger, your in charge of navigation. I'll take care of movement."  
  
The Silver Ranger brings the Ternary MegaZord Two to bear with the manual controls, ready for action.  
  
"Initiate mental link-up," Silver Ranger says. A headset lowers and covers his helmet and integrates with it. "Mental link-up established. Activate mental tracers."  
  
The eyes of the Ternary MegaZord Two light up, blazing with sentience. It walks over to the battle between the Garnecia Elephantis and the other three Atlantean Zords. The Ternary MegaZord Two raises its left arm and striking out, the Serpent Whip shooting forth and lashing the Garnecia Elephantis across its left arm. The monster roars in pain and turns to face the Ternary MegaZord Two.  
  
"You guys go and form the Binary Zord One," White Ranger says from the energy modulation consul, "Aqua Ranger, you stay put. We may need the Armor Ternary MegaZord Two."  
  
"Okay," Bronze Ranger says, "take care." The Bronze and Platinum Warrior Zords move off, transforming back into their creature modes as they do so.  
  
"Okay, let's rock 'n roll!" Silver Ranger says as he moves the Ternary MegaZord Two into battle position, Serpent Whip ready.  
  
"That little whip actually stung," the Garnecia Elephantis mutters, "maybe this will be even more fun that I had originally thought."  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis raises its sword and charges the Ternary MegaZord Two, ready to cut it in half with a single strike. The Aqua Golem Zord fires its eye laser, peppering the back of the Garnecia Elephantis with several direct hits but the behemoth continues on headless of the attacks. The Ternary MegaZord Two summons its Ternary Scythe and blocks the Garnecia Elephantis' attack, but the monster delivers a devastating left hook to the elbow joint to the powerful Zord's right arm, knowing it was a a junction point in the Zord combination.  
  
The Ternary MegaZord Two staggers back, the elbow joint sparking slightly but still functional. It slashes at the Garnecia Elephantis' head, but the monster ducks and counters with a vicious heatbut. A blast of bronze/platinum energy from the side stops the Garnecia Elephantis from furthering the assault. The Binary Zord One had arrived.  
  
Another blast of energy erupts from the spikes sticking out of the shoulders of the combination Zord. The Garnecia Elephantis sidesteps the stream of energy and charges the Binzary Zord One down, ramming into and sending it crashing to the ground with tremendous force.  
  
"He's still too powerful!" Bronze Ranger groans as Platinum Ranger gets their Zord back on its feet.  
  
"Judging by the power of the Ternary MegaZord Two, I doubt the Armor Ternary MegaZord Two would be powerful enough to stop this behemoth," Crystal Ranger says.  
  
"What about the Silver Atlantean MegaZord?" Platinum Ranger asks, "shouldn't have enough power?"  
  
"Yes, but do we have the time to separate our Zords and then reform into the Silver Atlantean MegaZord?" Silve rRanger asks, "and I don't think Aqua Ranger can hold him off long enough."  
  
"I can try," Aqua Ranger says, "I can shift into my Warrior Mode. It won't boost my power much, but hopefully I can last until you form the Silver Atlantean MegaZord."  
  
"You sure man?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"I can take it," Aqua Ranger says firmly before the Aqua Golem Zord transforms into the Aqua Warrior Mode, "you guys just hurry up!"  
  
The Aqua Warrior Zord summons its Aqua Golem Daggers and attacks with powerful energy slashes at the Garnecia Elephantis, distracting it enough for the Ternary MegaZord Two and the Binary Zord One to get away. The Aqua Warrior Zord circles the Garnecia Elephantis, prepared to fight to the bitter end.  
  
The Ternary MegaZord Two and the Binary Zord One separate into their five component Zords, each in its creature mode.  
  
"Silver Atlantean MegaZord transformation, activate," Silver Ranger commands, entering a button sequence into the control panel of his cockpit.  
  
The five Zords flash in their respective colors before they begin to change. The limbs of the Silver Dragon Zord fold in on themselves before sliding into compartments in the body. The wings slide back until at the belly of the belly of the Silver Dragon Zord. The head straightens the partially slides into the body before the Zord itself flips upside down, the waist forming the new shoulders and upper torso of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord while the former shoulders and head form a the new waist and buckle. The White Gargoyle Zord folds in on itself, the wings sliding into the body along with the head. The arms slide into compartments in the body before the body itself slightly reshapes. The legs latch together before folding up, forming a foot, the Zord now being the right leg of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord. It slides into the appropriate slot on the lower torso. The Crystal Chimera Zord goes through drastic changes as well. The serpent tail slides into the body while the goat head folds back into its own compartment, as do the legs. The lion head slides along a slot until it is on the back of the Crystal Chimera Zord, forming the left leg of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord. The new left leg slides into its appropriate slot and latches. The legs of the Bronze Griffin Zord and Platinum Winged Unicorn Zords fold into their respective bodies. The wings of the two Zords fold in on themselves while the heads slide into their chests. The bodies of the two Zords strength about halfway and form elbow joints while hands sprout from the ends of the two Zords, the Bronze Griffin Zord being the new right arm while the Platinum Winged Unicorn Zord being the left. They slide into the new compartments for them in the torso of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord. The new head, which is armored like a medeivel samurai, slides out of its compartment within the new chest of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord. A light plays over the surface of the Silver Atlantean MegaZord, streamlining it as it moves down, making the connections smooth and as impenetrable as they would be if the MegaZord was one unit to begin with.  
  
"Silver Atlantean MegaZord, power up!" the five Atlantean Ranger's call out in unison.  
  
Silver Ranger takes command. "Bronze Ranger, you take care of energy output. Platinum Ranger, you take care of navigation. White Ranger, you take care of our energy shields. Keep them up as best you can, but be prepared to transfer all the shield energy we got to our reserves so they can then be sent into one big blast. We just may need it. White Ranger, take care of our secondary weapons. We should have a good array of weapons other than our main weapon, the Silver MegaZord Saber. I'll take combat control."  
  
"You're not that good at manual control," Bronze Ranger points out.  
  
"That's why I'm using the mental uplink," Silver Ranger replies, "I trust you guys to keep me from feeling a lot of blows. Keep energy in the shields. I feel the pain of the damage the MegaZord takes."  
  
"Good plan," Bronze Ranger says, "you're the best for this situation. With the main weapon being a sword, Crystal Ranger is the second best option. The rest of us do not have many skills from our Morphers that relate to swordplay."  
  
"I think they are designed that way," Silver Ranger says as the mental uplink begins to be established, "Crystal Ranger, if the damage becomes too much for me to handle, pull me out and take command the same way. This thing is too complicated for four people to run manually."  
  
"Gotcha," Crystal Ranger replies as he checks over the secondary weapons, "whoa. Some of these weapon readings we got are top notch. We could nuke a city if we so chose with just the secondary weapons."  
  
"And those are exactly the kind of weapons we're about to need," Silver Ranger grits his teeth as he prepares to guide the Silver Atlantean MegaZord into its first battle in untold millennia.  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis is stomping on the Aqua Warrior Zord. Each stomp is slightly caving in the Zord's chest, bringing it closer and closer to a permanent shutdown of its systems, and thus killing the spirit of the Aqua Ranger. A laser blast rips into the Garnecia Elephantis' back, sending it staggering away from the fallen Zord. It turns to see the Silver Atlantean MegaZord standing there, its eyes blazing with residue energy from the energy blast.  
  
"So, you have another combination, do you?" the Garnecia Elephantis snorts, "it won't matter."  
  
"We'll see about that," Crystal Ranger declares as he fires off another eye laser blast. The beams slam into the Garnecia Elephantis, but do no more than stagger it once more. The giant behemoth continues its inexorable pace to the Silver Atlantean MegaZord and slugs it in the chest. The MegaZord takes a few steps back, its protective shields sparking from the energy they had had to produce to keep that punch from going through. The MegaZord fires back with another eye laser blast.  
  
"Guys, prepare for the Silver MegaZord Saber," Silver Ranger says, "we'll run out of power before we pierce that thing's hide, and bludgeoning it with punches is too risky. This thing ain't exactly nimble."  
  
"True, it was designed for power in mind," Bronze Ranger remarks, "but that just means that we have as much power as we need to deal with this guy."  
  
"Short of Dark Specter, I don't see what can overpower us right now," White Ranger adds.  
  
"Silver MegaZord Saber online," Platinum Ranger says, "begin transport."  
  
The Silver Atlantean MegaZord holds up its right arm, its hand ready to accept the Silver MegaZord Saber. Light and energy begins to streak into the upheld hand, slowly taking shape into a broadsword. The entire sword almost seemed like it was spun into its basic shape, then the blade was hammered into shape. The hilt was all graceful curves that also hinted at incredible durability, while the blade itself seemed almost like a different piece of metal. The blade was a smooth silver, with every color of the rainbow flowing through over it at each angle.  
  
"So, that is your primary weapon?" the Garnecia Elephantis snorts as it summons its own sword, a blade that had a spike on one end of the hilt, the end that was pressed against the forearm of the Garnecia Elephantis. The blade itself was straight until a point, then it curved inward until the tip, which was even with the straight part of the blade. "Doesn't look like much."  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis charges the Silver Atlantean MegaZord, bringing its sword down in a powerful chop, only to be stopped mid-charge by a simple backhand blow from the Silver Atlantean MegaZord with the Silver MegaZord Saber.  
  
"Silver Ranger, our power levels have gone up to 200%," Bronze Ranger exclaims, "that Silver MegaZord Saber is a conduit for raw, unfocused power. Records indicate that that power has never been used to its fullest. Instead, the Silver MegaZord Saber was always used to simply amplify the MegaZord's energy into a powerful slash."  
  
"Let's try the traditional attack first," Silver Ranger says. He didn't need to be told that the Silver MegaZord Saber was a conduit for a LOT of energy. He could feel it through his mental link to the Silver Atlantean MegaZord! It was indescribable.  
  
Energy pours into the Silver MegaZord Saber from the Silver Atlantean MegaZord. The Silver Atlantean MegaZord holds the Silver MegaZord Saber aloft as the enrgy charges up, then slashes at the Garnecia Elephantis, sending the energy pouring out. The energy slams into the Garnecia Elephantis, actually knocking it off its feet and sending it flying before it crashes back to the ground, creating a small earthquake and an indent in the ground itself. It slowly gets back up, dazed.  
  
"Its still up?" Silver Ranger goggles. This was unexpected. The Garnecia Elephantis was far more powerful than they had expected.  
  
"Perhaps we should try accessing that energy," White Ranger suggests.  
  
"Good idea," Silver Ranger agrees.  
  
"Too late!" Platinum Ranger cries out, pointing. The Garnecia Elephantis was charging them, too fast for the Silver Ranger to move the MegaZord into a position to block. Instead, the MegaZord takes a powerful slash across the torso starting low followed by a haymaker from the Garnecia's left fist. The MegaZord crashed to the ground, sending jolts of pain through the Silver Ranger. That punch ahd felt like a kick from a mule on steroids, before he had ever received the Silver Morpher!  
  
As the Silver Ranger struggles to get the MegaZord back under control, the Garnecia Elephantis kicks it in the chest, sending it sprawling once again and shooting another wave of pain through the Silver Ranger. The Garnecia Elephantis bends over and grabs the Silver Atlantean MegaZord by the neck and lifts it up, forcing the neck to support the entire MegaZord's weight. The Garnecia Elephantis leers at its opponent for a moment before it proceeds to flip its sword around so that the spike is now protruding out instead of lying against the Garnecia's forearm. The Garnecia Elephantis then proceeds to beat the Silver Atlantean MegaZord in the chest, the spike sending up sparks from the mighty megaZord's shields before it penetrates and begins leaving dents, then holes in the MegaZord's chest armor. Thirty seconds of this renders the Silver Ranger unconscious.  
  
"Silver Ranger!" Crystal Ranger cries out, rushing over to the team's leader. He quickly unhooks the Silver Ranger from the mental uplink and redirects power from the secondary weapons into the shields. The shields begin to raise again, sending out a shower of sparks as they hold agains the bludgeoning.  
  
"We're running low on power and fast," Bronze Ranger says as she watches their energy levels plummet, "if we can't get him to let go of us soon, we're history."  
  
"Can we move the legs enough to deliver a low blow?" Crystal Ranger asks.  
  
"I doubt we'd be able to make the Megazord deliver enough force without the mental uplink, and none of us would be able to think clearly enough through the pummeling to do it," Platinum Ranger answers, "we need a miracle right now."  
  
An aqua colored energy blast rips into the Garnecia Elephantis' back, scorching it where the Silver Atlantean MegaZord's eye lasers had blasted it a short time ago. The monster drops the MegaZord, letting it fall into a heap on the desert floor. It turns to see the Aqua Warrior Zord standing, its Golem Dirks still shimmering from the energy that had just been focused through them while its chest sparks from the damage the Garnecia Elephantis had delivered to it.  
  
"Quick, initiate mental uplink!" Crystal Ranger commands as White Ranger eases the Silver Ranger into the Crystal Ranger's chair. The Crystal Ranger slides into the mental uplink with ease and gets the MegaZord back on its feet. It picks up the Silver MegaZord Saber and prepares to strike down the Garnecia Elephantis.  
  
"Silver Ranger wasn't kidding," Crystal ranger says as he revels in the feeling of the Silver MegaZord Saber through the mental uplink, "this sword does possess an enormous amount of power. And I think we'll need to unleash the full power of it to destroy the Garnecia Elephantis."  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis turns and lashes out at the MegaZord, its sword aimed directly for the chest. The MegaZord parries the attack, then follows up with a slash across the chest that penetrates the Garnecia's hide. Purplish blood seeps from the cut as sparks of raw magical energy flows out of the monster through the cut. The Garnecia Elephantis staggers as its strength begins to leave it a little bit at the time.  
  
"Hey, look at this," Platinum Ranger says, "the Garnecia Elephantis is weakening. I think its blood is the key. I don't think its meant to bleed."  
  
"It must need every bit of blood it has to keep its power up," Bronze Ranger says, then her eyes narrow within her helmet. "Let's cut this suckah up!"  
  
"I hear that," Crystal Ranger says as he prepares for another attack.  
  
Meanwhile, the Garnecia Elephantis touches the wound with its left hand, amazed. "You cut me. I have not been cut in thousands of years. I am supposed to be invulnerable. Well now, this was most unexpected. A sword that can actually penetrate my skin. How extraordinary. It appears that you Rangers are worthy opponents after all."  
  
With that, the Garnecia Elephantis rushes the Silver atlantean MegaZord, swinging its sword around for a decapitating slash. The MegaZord blocks with its Silver MegaZord Saber, then pushes back against the Garnecia Elephantis, sending the mammoth creature sprawling.  
  
"We'd better hurry," Bronze Ranger says, "our energy levels are still critically low. If this lasts much longer we may not be able to execute the finishing blow."  
  
"Gotcha," Crystal Ranger says, "lets do it."  
  
The Silver Atlantean MegaZord stands ready, energy beginning to swirl around its sword. Sparkles of energy in the color of the five Ranger's whose Zords made up the Silver Atlantean MegaZord flows into the blade until it is glowing a faint gold color. A well of power within the Silver MegaZord Saber is unleashed and raw power flows into the blade, sending a jolt through the arm of the Crystal Ranger.  
  
"This.. is incredible!" Crystal Ranger cries out as he feels the power filling the Silver MegaZord Saber, "so much power.. its indescribable!"  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis gets back to its feet. Its eyes widen when it sees and feels the amount of powr flowing through the Silver MegaZord Saber. It begins to focus its own power into its sword, prepared to send out a wave of power of its own. The Silver MegaZord Saber begins to glow a bright reddish gold as it enters the final stage of its powerup.  
  
The Silver Atlantean MegaZord begins to carve a circle in the air with the Silver MegaZord Saber. When it finishes carving the circle, it slashes diagonally down from the left. It uses its own momentum to spin around and the slash upwards diagonally from, the left, forming a perfect 'X' within the circle. Its momentum continues to carry it as it spins around again, this time slashing horizontally. The Silver Atlantean MegaZord then brings the Silver MegaZord Saber to its side, the point of the blade aimed straight ahead, the hilt being held with both hands. It then thrusts into the circle, right where the lines of the three slashes cross, then it begins to raise the Silver MegaZord Saber up. When the Silver MegaZord Saber is fully raised over its head, then it proceds to launch a perfectly vertical slash at the Garnecia Elephantis. This unleashes the power that had been stored up within the blade, sending a wave of destructive power at the Garnecia Elephantis.  
  
The Garnecia Elephantis prepares to launch its own attack to deflect the oncoming wave, but a blast of aqua colored energy manages to knock its sword out of its hand. It turns to look at the Aqua Warrior Zord beginning to collapse from expending too much energy in such a damaged state. Its Golem Daggers were still sparkling with the residue of the attack that had knocked the Garnecia Elephantis' sword out of its hand. The Garnecia Elephantis doesn't even have the time to scream in pain, fury, or hatred as the attack from the Silver Atlantean MegaZord hits it, tearing through its body and blowing it away chunk by chunk. The attack actually seems to stop for a moment when it hits the Garnecia Elephantis, but then it tears on through as it totally vaporizes the evil monster.  
  
"Well, that was difficult," Crystal Ranger sighs as he disengages the mental uplink.  
  
"Yes, it was," White Ranger agrees, then he opens up the communications to the Aqua Warrior Zord. "Yo, Aqua Ranger, you okay?"  
  
"Nothing that a bunch of repairs won't take care of," Aqua Ranger replies, "lets head back to Atlantis. Silver Ranger needs some medical attention and I need to get my repairs started right away."  
  
The two Zords teleport away in massive streaks of light, one aqua the other a myriad of colors.  
  
~aboard the Dark Specter's ship~  
  
"This is preposterous!" Dark Specter yells in anger, "the Garnecia Elephantis, defeated?! By a bunch of mere humans?! Wielding the Morphers of Atlantis or not, they should not have been able to defeat him."  
  
"My lord, this is but a minor setback," Darkonda says, "the Rangers are obviously hurting after such a battle. Perhaps if we attacked again today we could still destroy them."  
  
"No, attacking Ranger's after such a hard-fought victory would only prove futile," Dark Specter says as he simmers down a bit, "they would be psyched up from the victory and would obliterate almost any creature in my service, including you, Darkonda. As treacherous as you are, you are still valuable to me. And you know as well as I do what happens when you lose one of your lives: your power decreases."  
  
"Yes, Dark Specter," Darkonda grovels, "so we shall wait for a time before attacking again?"  
  
"Yes," Dark Specter says, "and we will need a plan. Continue to observe the Silver Atlantean Ranger and try to identify any weaknesses and fears he has that we can exploit."  
  
"And the other Ranger's?" Darkonda asks, already knowing the answer to that question.  
  
"Uncover their identities," Dark Specter commands, "then apply the same strategies to them that we are using on the Silver Atlantean Ranger."  
  
"Shall I hire someone with mind reading abilities to uncover the information directly from the Silver Ranger's mind?" Darkonda asks.  
  
"Not yet," Dark Specter says, "such abilities are expensive to hire.I am unaware of anyone in my armies with such abilities that are still alive, and I do not wish to pay a large sum simply to learn the identities of a few Ranger's. We shall discover their identities soon enough."  
  
"Yes, Dark Specter," Darkonda bows, "it will be as you command."  
  
~at Atlantis, a few hours later~  
  
"That battle was harsh," Jesse murmurs as Alex forces him to drink down some vile-tasting concoction that would soothe any mental damage he had received through the beating he had endured while mentally linked to the Silver Atlantean MegaZord.  
  
"But you won," Alex says, "barely, but you did win. That counts for something, doesn't it?"  
  
"It does," Holly says, "but we were largely unprepared for a battle of that magnitude."  
  
"You will be pleased to know that there are not many with the strength of the Garnecia Elephantis," the Elder states, "and some are not in Dark Specter's employment, but are rather mercenaries. Those that are in the Dark Specter's employ he will not be so eager to send against you after you destroyed one of his mightiest henchmen."  
  
"These last two days we have been on the receiving end of some rather brutal attacks," Nathan comments, "we need to step up on our training."  
  
"What about Petite?" Bethany asks, "he was severely damaged."  
  
"Petite and your Zords will be fully operational once again by tomorrow evening, just in time for the banquet tomorrow," Eleanor states, "speaking of which, Jesse, you still need dancing lessons."  
  
Bethany and Holly wince. "Can you give us some steel boots or something so our toes won't get smashed?" Bethany asks.  
  
"Do not worry," Eleanor grins, "I will be the only one dancing with Jesse. You ladies shall practice with these gentlemen."  
  
Bethany and Holly sigh in relief. Jesse really couldn't dance.  
  
~the next day, the Royal Banquet Hall of Atlantis~  
  
The Atlantean Ranger's, plus Alex, were in full regalia. Holly and Bethany were elaborately dressed in a shirt and tunic each, with soft breeches instead of hose. The tunics reached to their knees, with splits at the side up to their waist to ensure their freedom of movement. The seams of Holly's tunic were lined with strips of platinum colored cloth, while the seams of Bethany's tunic was lined with strips of bronze colored cloth. Holly's shirt was scarlet red while the tunic was dark gray. Her breeches were a bright green. Her Morpher was plainly evident in the buckle of the belt around her tunic. Bethany's shirt was a deep blue while her tunic was dark gray. Her breeches are flame red. Her Morpher was plainly evident in the buckle of the belt around her tunic.  
  
Jesse, Nathan, Ben, and Alex were all appropriately dressed in Atlantean garb for such an occasion. They each wore a loose-fitting shirt, sleevless tunic, and breeches that allowed a full range of movement. Jesse's shirt was a shimmering silver while his tunic was a vibrant red with gold thread that denoted him as the leader of the Atlantean Ranger's. His breeches were a golden yellow. His Morpher was attached to the buckle of his belt. Nathan wore a light blue, almost white, shirt while his tunic was a forest green. His breeches were purple and his Morpher was attached to the buckle of his belt. Ben wore a snowy white shirt while his tunic was solid black. His breeches were deep blue and his Morpher was attached to the buckle of his belt. Alex, since he was not a Ranger, could wear whatever colors he chose. Since he was distantly a member of the Clan Green, he wore a green shirt with a bright red tunic. His breeches were a navy blue. His belt buckle, since he did not have a Morpher, held his badge of honor that showed that he was an apprentice wizard of the Clan Green.  
  
Petite was dressed in simple tunic and breeches that showed that he was the Aqua Ranger. His story had already been filtered throughout Atlantean society, so he did not garner many stares of disbelief. The other Ranger's, on the other hand, were all regarded with curiosity by the nobility of Atlantis as they did their best to mingle with the crowd.  
  
Except Jesse. He just stood back and watched.  
  
"You really aren't good at social gatherings," Eleanor says as she walks up to the reclusive Silver Ranger.  
  
"Never have been," Jesse replies evenly, "I'm not much of a social person. I gather around me a closenit group of people that become my friends. I used to make friends with ease, but moving and then being regarded as a nobody and ridiculed made me reclusive. And so you see me here avoiding people."  
  
"Ah. Well, why don't you come with me? Perhaps a familiar presence can help you relax and socialize."  
  
"It's worth a try," Jesse sighs, "I don't really like being reclusive, but I'm too shy otherwise."  
  
"You aren't shy when you verbally spar with Bethany and Holly," Eleanor teases.  
  
Jesse's cheeks tinged with a blush.  
  
"I'm just teasing you," Eleanor laughs. Eleanor leads Jesse out among the crowd and introduces him to some of the nobles of the Clan Eldryn.  
  
"Ah, so you're the new leader of the Atlantean Warriors, eh?" one nobleman remarks.  
  
"Atlantean Rangers, actually," Jesse replies, "since the only one of us even remotely Atlantean is Petite, the Aqua Ranger, we cannot use the Atlantean Warrior powers. But we are by no means weak."  
  
"I see," another nobleman says, "and you are the Silver Ranger, are you not?"  
  
"I am," Jesse answers, "I was the first selected by one of the Atlantean Morphers. My best friend was pulled with me when I was teleported to Atlantis. He is currently in reserve, learning alongside us in case one of us, unfortunately, falls in battle and can no longer fight. In the meantime, he is also training to use Atlantean magic. He is proven quite adept."  
  
"He is a descendant of Darien Green, the previous Crystal Warrior," Eleanor explains, "he is quite adept in his lessons and can hold his own against any of the Rangers when they are not morphed."  
  
"Still, they are not Atlanteans," another member of the Clan Eldryn retorts, "how can you allow non-Atlanteans to wield the power of the Morphers of Atlantis?"  
  
"Matthias, dear brother, we have been over this before," Eleanor says, "they were deemed worthy by the Morphers. We cannot question the Morphers judgment. Each of the Atlantean Rangers have proven themselves to be honest and trusthworthy. They have lived up to the standard set by the previous Atlantean Warriors and other heroes of Atlantean lore."  
  
"My dear friend," Jesse says, irritated by Matthias' tone, "are you so shallow as to say we are unworthy simply because we are not Atlanteans? Or are you mad at us because you were not selected by a Morpher? I myself have questioned by own worth many a time, but when those who cannot defend themselves need me to protect them, I will not stop to think of myself to defend them."  
  
"And are you capable of defending others?" Matthias retorts, "a contest, between the two of us, to see if you are worthy of the Silver Morpher."  
  
Jesse's eyes narrow. "What are you, obtuse? What will fighting solve?"  
  
"Are you afraid?" Matthias taunts, "or perhaps you are afraid to show yourself for what you are: a weak coward."  
  
Jesse's eyes blaze with indignation. "How dare you call me a coward! My life has been upturned from being chosen to be a Ranger, but I haven't complained. I like protecting others, and I will protect them for as long as the Silver Morpher finds me worthy and that I am physically able to so. If you have a problem with me personally, then tell me. If it's just being a bigot over the fact that I am not Atlantean, then buzz off!"  
  
Matthias, taken aback by Jesse's outburst, stares at Silver Ranger for a moment. Then his eyes narrow.  
  
"Matthias, don't," Eleanor orders, but her words go unheaded.  
  
Matthias takes a swing at Jesse, aiming for the teens jaw, but Jesse grabs Matthias' arm and uses it as leverage to toss Matthias over his shoulder. Matthias lands flat on his back, slightly stunned.  
  
"If you ever want to spar with me, come and find me," Jesse says evenly, "a banquet is no place for a fight, my friend. Besides, we should be allies, not enemies."  
  
With that, Jesse walks over to the table where the Atlantean Rangers were to sit. The feast was about to start.  
  
"You handled that rather well," Alex comments.  
  
"He's probably a genuinely good guy, but he has his faults," Jesse replies, "being a bigot is one of them."  
  
"Actually, he doesn't respect authority figures like yourself unless they defeat him in combat," Eleanor says, "and thanks for embarrassing my older brother."  
  
"Sorry," Jesse says, "but he just rubbed my nerves the wrong way."  
  
"He's not an agreeable sort of fellow," Eleanor agrees, "but try6 to keep an open mind about him. He doesn't really dislike non-Atlanteans, but they have to earn his respect. You probably should spar with him sometime. Even if he beats you, if you may still earn his respect if you fight hard enough."  
  
"I don't want to fight him," Jesse says, "but if I must, I will."  
  
"What are his views about me?" Petite asks.  
  
"You, he respects because of what you did before when Atlantis was attacked by Dark Specter," Eleanor replies, "but he does not respect the rest of you. Particularly you, Alex. You're not even a Ranger."  
  
"Hey, its time to eat," Bethany points out, "lets have a joyful conversation, not this gloomy one."  
  
The others agree and sit, ready to enjkoy a succulent feast. Roasts of lamb, pig, and beef, as well as various salads, fruits, and other delicious foods are one each table.  
  
Elsewhere, two glowing red eyes open. A terrible evil has been locked away for twelve thousand years, and now it is about to be released once again.  
  
~~  
  
Well, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. It may be a while before I release the next chapter, but I will be working on it. However, I also have several other stories that I am working on, including some that I have not yet posted.  
  
As always, please review. I like knowing what other people think of my work. 


	11. Split Battle

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. The Atlantean Rangers are my idea. Many of the monsters that appear here either come from my own imagination or are from either the Yu Gi Oh card game or Magic: The Gathering. Some monsters will be based off a monster from one of those card games, but the name will have been changed. I do not own those monsters.  
  
By the way, have you heard the news? Tommy returns in the new Power Rangers Dino Thunder! I can so not wait for tomorrow to come.  
  
~~  
  
~aboard Dark Specter's spaceship~  
  
Dark Specter was simmering. He had yet to conquer Earth, and had had no more success in doing so than any of the other evil forces to have attacked it. In fact, he had not even come as close as any of them had! Master Vile had almost totally wiped out the Power Rangers with his very first attack. So had Lord Zedd. The Machine Empire had brainwashed the Red Zeo Ranger and almost defeated the Power Rangers Zeo. Divatox herself had actually destroyed the Power Chamber and nearly defeated the Turbo Rangers, but only because he had sent Goldgoyle to aid her. And one of Count Dregon's monsters had beaten back the Masked Rider, but then he had called in the Masked Rider Warriors. And Rita Repulsa's Evil Green Ranger was still perhaps the closest anyone had ever come to conquering Earth. He had banished Zordon for a time, defeated the MegaZord and the Rangers, and had terrorized the Power Rangers for nearly a week. No other monster any villain had sent down in a long campaign had lasted that long. Even the other evil forces that were Earth-based, such as the Demon Queen Bansheera, had not done that well. Yes, she had destroyed the base of the Lightspeed Rangers and taken over some of their Zords, but they ahd beaten her still. The mutants that attacked Silver Hills were constantly being beaten and the Orgs that attacked Turtle Cove were not organized at all.  
  
Darkonda had gone off in search of something he said would aid the Dark Specter in his conquests. He had discovered it a century ago, but having lost a few of his nine lives had weakened him too much to get the object. Now he was back at full strength so getting whatever it was would be all too easy. Darkonda had assured him that the item would grant him what he needed to destroy the Atlantean Rangers once and for all.  
  
Dorit, Dark Specter's chief scientist, walks into his masters throne room. Of the same race as Rita Repulsa's monster baker Finster, Dorit was vicious and unscrupulous. In fact, the more unsavory the experiment, the more excited he got about it. His black robes were a contrast to Finster's choice of garb, but it fit his malignant personality. Only a few beings in the galaxy had ever been crueler than Dorit.  
  
"Master, I bring you good news," Dorit says, bowing respectfully, his voice deeper than Finster's and holding more raw confidence.  
  
"Speak, Dorit," Dark Specter rumbles, "tell me what you have invented now."  
  
"Not invented, master, grown," Dorit answers with a sinister chuckle, "of late I have been experimenting with the genetic make-up of various vicious creatures in an attempt to make them tractable for your service, my lord. In the end I gave up, but then the idea came to me to just create an entirely new creature, taking the most admirable traits of my other specimens and implementing them in the new creature. It has taken me a few months, I had in fact started working on this before we had even set a course for Earth, but my work has finally come to fruition. My lord, may I present to you the Driel."  
  
In walks a creature that did not look overly dangerous, but if Dorit called it a success then it was indeed quite dangerous. Standing perhaps six and a half feet tall, at least a good head taller than any of the Atlantean Ranger's, the creature was solid purplish-black except for the blood red circles on its shoulders. Its head had a draconic look, and its eyes were a glowing green. It had claws instead of fingers and a whiplike tail. It looked like a creature bred for combat, if it was as agile as it looked to be. Knowing Dorit's previous handiwork in genetics, it was more agile than it looked, and quite a bit stronger as well. And far, far more dangerous.  
  
"This is your newest creation?" Dark Specter asks, slightly amused.  
  
"Yes, my lord Dark Specter," Dorit answers, "this is the Driel. He is far from mature, but he is more than strong enough tod eal with those pesky Rangers. He is quite strong, almost equaling Darkonda in his strength and surpassing most of your minions in agility and its reflexes are as finely honed as they can get. It is ruled by instinct, but vocal instructions from either you or myself can reprogram its instincts on a genetic level. Your instructions take precedence, of course. The Atlantean Rangers would stand no chance against a fully mature Driel, but I am afraid that it would take two Earth years for this Driel to mature."  
  
"A pity," Dark Specter says, "but it is quite capable of eliminating them now, is it not?"  
  
"Yes, my lord," Dorit answers, "the only problem is that since it is not mature, it cannot be enlarged by any spell or mechanical means. I have been studying the genetic sample of one of the mutants that attack the city known as Silver Hills, trying to isolate the gene that triggers their own rapid growth, but I am afraid that I cannot locate it. Their DNA is quite complex."  
  
"A pity," Dark Specter says, "coupled with a platoon of Spectrons, could it destroy the Atlantean Rangers?"  
  
"I'm afraid that the Driel has strange reactions around the Spectrons, my lord," Dorit apologizes, "the Quantrons as well. It seems to react hostile towards robots."  
  
"So if I sent it down, it would be alone, correct?" Dark Specter asks.  
  
"Unless you wish to send something it won't attack with it, my lord," Dorit says.  
  
Dark Specter's eyes light up with unholy glee. "Get out your Monster Matic and make up several batches of Putties. Three dozen should do fine. Since they are in essence only clay, if the Driel does destroy them then it will be no loss other than the time it took to make them."  
  
"Yes, my lord," Dorit bows, "I shall get on it right away. Shall I use the Super Putty, or the regular clay?"  
  
"The Super Putty, of course," Dark Specter commands, "normal Putties were too weak for even the Morphin Rangers to stop, even if your Monster Matic is far superior to Finster's old relic. Use the Super Putty. We have plenty of it."  
  
"Yes, my lord," Dorit replies, bowing, then leaves the room, taking the Driel with him.  
  
Dark Specter gazes out of the large window of his throne room, gazing at the Earth. "You had best not fail me, Dorit. I will be most displeased if you do."  
  
~the next day~  
  
Matthias, Knight of Atlantis and noble of the Clan Eldryn, was in a pensive mood. He had been promptly told off by his little sister, Eleanor, for his remarks towards to Silver Atlantean Ranger. Ranger. Ha! Atlantis did not need the Atlantean Rangers, it needed the Atlantean Warriors. The Atlantean Rangers were weak, absolutely nothing compared to even a single Atlantean Warrior. A single Atlantean Warrior could easily defeat the entire team of Atlantean Rangers.  
  
As Matthias did his rounds through the largest marketplace in central Atlantis, the ground begins to shake. A crack appears in the middle of the street and a bipedal reptilian monster arises from the hole. The creature's skin was a vivid green. It wore a simple cloth loincloth and sloth gauntlets that were of a light brown color. The gauntlets were held in place, stretched by being attached to the creatures elbow spikes. A set of small spikes on each shoulder gave it the appearance of something not to be trifled with. It also had a spike that extended from its calves up past its kneecaps, making it apparent that a knee to the gut from this monster would be very unpleasant. Its lizardlike tail completed its reptilian appearance. Cords of muscle stressed against its skin, completing the appearance of a creature of raw power, but the intelligent gleam in its eyes kept the idea of this monster being a dumb brute from entering Matthias' mind.  
  
Matthias draws his sword, ready to defend Atlantis from this monster. He did not know how it managed to get into Atlantis, but he would not let it threaten the citizens. With a yell, Matthias charges the monster, ready to lay down his life to stop it.  
  
Bethany Black was in a pensive mood. Summer being constantly on call to save the world kept social gatherings to a minimum. Those few she did have were with the other Atlantean Rangers, save for Jesse who did not want to risk revealing their identities to Dark Specter since he was probably being observed. This meant that she only got to talk to most of her friends over the phone.  
  
Life itself wasn't really bad, she just couldn't enjopy it as much as she wanted to. Being responsible for the safety of the Earth did tend to sap the fun out of life. It was wearing down on her. Dark Specter had taken to casting a spell on an inanimate object, creating many monsters. He kept sending them down, probably in hopes of wearing the Atlantean Ranger's down. That or to keep them off balance.  
  
Bethany's communicator beeps. She brings it to her mouth, talking softly into it. "Bethany here. Go on."  
  
Jesse's voice came from the voicebox of the communicator, making Bethany grimace slightly. The leader of the Atlantean Rangers was barely a leader. He wasn't resourceful, instead relying solely on the abilities he gained from the Silver Morpher to fight and lead.  
  
"Bethany, we've got some problems. Morph and head to downtown Jackson. We've got a situation."  
  
"Right," Bethany grumbles as she closes the communications channel. Summoning her Bronze Morpher, Bethany lets the magical energy flow through her. "It's Morphin Time! Bronze Power of Atlantis!"  
  
She teleports out in a streak of bronze light.  
  
~downtown Jackson~  
  
The streets are overrun by dozens of Putties wreaking havoc. These Putties had not been seen since Lord Zedd had taken over trying to conquer the Earth from Rita Repulsa, but they were still far more formidable than any normal Earth police force.  
  
The Atlantean Rangers teleport in, immediately summoning their weapons. They had long ago decided that they should always try to end a battle as quickly as possible, and since there were so many Putties they would need to destroy them quickly.  
  
Crystal and Aqua Rangers fight back-to-back, Crystal Ranger's Crystal Cutlass and White Ranger's White Warhammer slice and smash any Putty that got close to the duo. Bronze and Platinum Ranger fought back-to-back as well, Bronze Ranger's Bronze Battle Ax and Platinum Ranger's Platinum Partisan cleaving any unfortunate Putty to get hit in half. Silver and Aqua Ranger's fought alone, but they both fought as well as any of the pairs. Aqua Ranger's Aqua Double Dirks blocked and parried any attack the Putties threw at it while at the same time it would deliver a fierce kick to a Putty followed by a double slash from its dirks. The Silver Ranger fought with his Silver Staff, occasionally sending out energy blasts at oncoming Putties. So far, despite the large number of enemies, the Ranger's were doing extremely well.  
  
'What was Dark Specter thinking, sending down such weak creatures?' Bronze Ranger thinks, 'any one of us could take them all down. Any two of us could annihilate them. The six of us combined are far too much for them.'  
  
As if to answer her question, a shadow passes over her head. A rather lage monster comes crashing down between the Crystal and White Rangers, whipping out its arms to hit them each in the lower back with a slash of its sharp claws, sending them rolling to the ground, writhing in pain. The claws had almost penetrated their armor.  
  
Bronze and Platinum Ranger turn to face the monster. It was a head taller than any of the Rangers, and it was a purplish-black with a blood red circle on each shoulder. It had a draconic head and glowing green eyes that seemed to burn with raw evil. A whiplike tail wriggled around behind it. The two female Rangers look at each other and nod. Silver and Aqua Rangers could handle the Putties, they had to stop this beast now.  
  
"So you're the newest monster, eh?" Bronze Ranger asks, "not much to look at, are you?"  
  
"I wonder what Dark Specter used to make you," Platinum Ranger wonders aloud.  
  
The monster just stares at the two Rangers emotionlessly. Its tail twitches, which is all the warning they get before it attacks ruthlessly. Moving almost as fast as the eye can perceive, and father than conscious reflexes, the monster slashes both Rangers across the chest with its claws, knocking them back, their shields sparking from the impact. The two girls recover and counterattack, Platinum Ranger moving in twirling her Platinum Partisan to give it momentum for a powerful blow while Bronze Ranger follows in after her, her Bronze Battle Ax held low for a vicious chop to the side.  
  
The monster grabs the Platinum Partisan and pushes back, knocking the Platinum Ranger into the Bronze Ranger, sending them crumbling to the ground. The monster lets out a low hissing sound, almost like cruel laughter. It dives at the two female Rangers, its claws outstretched for a slash. A pair of energy bolts hit it mid-air and knock it off course. He tumbles to the ground, then rolls back to its feet without even flinching.  
  
"This thing is tough," White Ranger says, "he's strong, and very dangerous."  
  
"And those claws are sharp," Crystal Ranger adds, "it almost cut through our armor."  
  
"It may have done that with raw strength," Platinum Ranger says as she gets back to her feet, "it almost wrenched my arms out of their sockets when it grabbed my partisan and shoved me into Bronze Ranger."  
  
"And all these Putties running around isn't helping is, either," Crystal Ranger says as he delivers a spin kick to an oncoming Putty, sending it flying, "they're weak, but there are a lot of them."  
  
"Now only that, but unless we incinerate them with an energy blast they seem to just regenerate," Platinum Ranger adds.  
  
"Well, Silver and Aqua Rangers can deal with the Putties," White Ranger says, "the rest of us can deal with this monster."  
  
"I'm afraid you're wrong, White Ranger," Connerly's voice comes from their communicator's, "a monster has somehow gotten to Atlantis. It's too strong for the Knights of Atlantis and its mere presence seems to nullify Atlantean magic. Some of you will have to come to Atlantis to hold it off."  
  
"We'll go," White Ranger says, "we have the raw power that'll be needed. This monster will require brains."  
  
Silver Ranger runs up to them. "You got Connerly's message? Good. I'm heading to Altnatis. The rest of you deal with the situation here."  
  
"Crystal Ranger and I are coming with you," White Ranger says firmly, "the monster here shouldn't take more than the Binary Zord One Armor Mode if this becomes a Zord battle. I doubt the fight on Atlantis will be one. Besides, if the rest of us are needed them we can always return and leave you backed up by the Knights of Atlantis."  
  
"Fine then," Silver Ranger says, "Aqua Ranger can deal with the Putties while you ladies deal with the monster. I guess that does work best."  
  
"We'll make a strategist out of you yet," Platinum Ranger teases. Silver Ranger just cocks his head as if sending a glare at her, then teleports out. White and Crystal Rangers soon follow.  
  
"Okay, now how to deal with, tall, dark, and ugly?" Bronze Ranger asks as the two female Rangers turn to face their adversary.  
  
"Well, we could try ranged attacks," Platinum Ranger suggests as she shifts her Platinum Partisan into the Platinum Staff and draws her Blade Blaster. Bronze Ranger does the same.  
  
"Well, lets hope this works," Bronze Ranger says, "or at least works long enough for Aqua Ranger to come and help us."  
  
~Alantis~  
  
Atlantis was in havoc. It had not been attacked for nearly twelve thousand years. The Knights of Atlantis were all untried, and the wizards and mages were useless because of the creature's magic-dampening aura. Several buildings were badly damaged from fighting between the Knights of Atlantis and the monster. The Knights, completely overwhelmed by the creature, had already taken significant losses. There were no fatalities yet, but that was only a matter of time from the looks of things.  
  
Matthias groans in pain as the creature once again slams him against the pillar of one of the numerous libraries. He had yet to be injured badly enough to keep from fighting the monster. He had accumulated some cuts and some bruises, but he had yet to take any injuries that were more serious than that. His sword, an elegant broadsword with a blade as long as his leg, the hilt gilded with gold and the pommel stone made of a single topaz, was chipped and notched from blocking vicious claw strikes. Other Knights had tried using longbows and crossbows, and a few others threw spears at the monster, but they couldn't manage enough force to penetrate the monsters skin with the spears and it dodged the arrows and crossbow bolts sent its way.  
  
Matthias blocks another claw swipe, but the creature whips around and slams its tail into Matthias' side. Matthias is sent crumpling to the ground, his sword knocked far out of his reach. The creature advances on his prone form to finish him off.  
  
The creature is about to strike when a pair of white and light blue beams hit it in the back. Matthias looks past the creature to see the Crystal and White Rangers holding their Blade Blasters. The creature roars and charges the two Rangers, but the Silver Ranger leaps out from behind the two newest Rangers and delivers a spinning dropkick to the monsters chest, sending it flying into a nearby pillar. The three Rangers rush over to Matthias' side.  
  
"You okay?" Silver Ranger asks, "that was a nasty hit you took."  
  
"I'll be fine," Matthias grunts as he gets back to his feet, "I just don't understand how that monster could have gotten here without anyone knowing. But beware. Its very dangerous. Some of your weapons may not work because they are weapons of pure magic."  
  
"Basically my only weapon and the rest of the teams primary weapons," Silver Ranger nods, "you know, that's another thing. Why do I only have the Silver Staff and Silver Saber? I'm not sufficiently armed for all situations! If I lose my grip on my weapon or it becomes unavailable for some reason, I'm defenseless."  
  
"Talk to Wizard Connerly about it," Matthias says, "just do your duty and destroy that monster."  
  
"I hope we have the firepower needed to destroy it," Crystal Ranger says as he summons his Crystal Staff. He charges up a powerful energy blast and tries to release it, but can't. The dampening field prevented it from doing any more than gathering up the energy.  
  
"Curse it," White Ranger mutters, "looks like we'll be going at it with our Blade Blasters. Not a promising thought."  
  
"Perhaps not," Silver Ranger says as he summons his Silver Staff. He tries converting it into the Silver Saber and succeeds. "Looks like I won't be clubbing it with my Staff or banging it with my fists."  
  
"Perhaps the two of us can deliver covering fire while you engage it close range," White Ranger suggests.  
  
"Sure, let me engage the big bad monster while you two are comparatively safe," Silver Ranger mutters darkly, "but fine, I'll do it. Not like we got any better strategies."  
  
The creature has already gotten back to its feet and was barreling down on the three Rangers. Silver Ranger leaps directly into the monsters path and braces himself while the other two Rangers and Matthias leap out of the way. The creature slashes at him with its right arm followed by an uppercut with its left arm. Silver Ranger blocks the first strike, but takes the full brunt of the uppercut. The monster follows up with a brutal spinning tail slash that catches the Silver Ranger in the side of the head, knocking him into the air and slamming him against a pillar. Silver Ranger crumples to the ground, barely conscious.  
  
White and Crystal Rangers open fire with their Blade Blasters on the monster, keeping on the move so it couldn't get ahold of them, hoping to wear it with with a continuous barrage of energy. The monster opens its mouth and hisses. It then leaps at the White Ranger, who promptly peppers its torso with energy bolts from his Blade Blaster. The creature knocks the Blade Blaster out of the White Ranger's hand and delivers a powerful jab to the White Ranger's throat, cuasing the Ranger to collapse to the ground, his windpipe almost crushed.  
  
"No!" Crystal Ranger summons his Crystal Staff and converts it into the Crystal Cutlass. He then leaps at the monster, firing nonstop with his Blade Blaster as he does so. The creature moves in to engage the Ranger close range. The two move in a flurry of sword strikes, energy bolts, claw slashes, tail strikes, and kicks and punches.  
  
~at the other battle~  
  
"This thing is strong!" Bronze Ranger manages as the monster wraps her up in a powerful bear hug. The monster had managed to overcome both of the female Rangers with relative ease, proving to be stronger and far more resilient than they had thought.  
  
Platinum Ranger fires a blast from his Platinum Staff that singes the monsters back, forcing it to drop the Bronze Ranger. The monster turns and attacks, leaping at the Platinum Ranger. Platium Ranger responds by blasting the monster again with her Platinum Staff, this time adding a continuous beam from her Blade Blaster to hurt the monster some more. The monster hits the ground, but quickly gets back to its feet, snarling in anger. An aqua colored blast knocks it down to its knees.  
  
The Aqua Ranger had finished with the Putties and had joined the main battle. With a quick motion of its hands, the Aqua Ranger is once again holding its Aqua Double Dirks and is rushing the monster.  
  
"Use ranged attacks, I'll keep it pinned down!"  
  
"Got it!" Bronze and Platinum Ranger say in unison. Bronze Ranger recovers her Bronze Battle Ax and shifts it into the Bronze Staff, then draws her Blade Blaster. Both women send streams of bronze and platinum colored energy at the monster, knocking it to its feet again, just in time for the Aqua Ranger to deliver a dropkick to its head. The creature stumbles back to its feet, only to receive another bronze and platinum stream of energy and several cuts from the Aqua Ranger.  
  
The monster lashes out at Aqua Ranger, slicing into its shield with relative ease. It follows up with a heavy punch that dents the Aqua Ranger's shield and sends it flying. The Aqua Ranger quickly recovers and re-engages the monster in combat. Using both of its dirks, the Aqua Ranger is able to pin the monster down relatively well, leaving it wide open to energy blasts from the Bronze and Platinum Ranger.  
  
The monster lashes out with its tail at the Aqua Ranger, but it does not catch the small Ranger off guard. Aqua Ranger backflips to avoid the tail lash, then leaps forward to strike the tail with a scissor-like motion with his dirks, severing a good portion of the monsters tail, causing it to yell in pain. Dark purple blood spurts from the severed tip of the tail as it flails around. However, the monster quickly brings its pain under control and glares at the Aqua Ranger, its tail waving behind it. Aqua Ranger watches in mute astonishment as the tip of the monsters tail regenerates before his very eyes.  
  
Aqua Ranger doesn't even have a chance to move as the monster attacks again.  
  
~back at Atlantis~  
  
Matthias watches in awe as the Crystal Ranger valiantly fights the monster on his own. A quick snapping of the Crystal Ranger's wrist would turn the Blade Blaster into its Blade Mode for a swipe at the monsters gut while another, almost instantly after the attempted gutting, would change it back into its Blaster Mode and the Crystal Ranger would shoot the monster in the chest. Realizing that, despite the Crystal Rangers valiant battle, that the Ranger could not win on his own, Matthias rushes over to the Silver Ranger, who is momentarily getting back to his feet.  
  
"You gonna be okay?" Matthias asks.  
  
"I'll be okay as soon as my head stops throbbing and my back stops hurting," was Silver Rangers muttered reply, "I can't believe that thing is so strong. And with me only being able to use just my sword, I'm almost useless in this battle. I think I should head back to the other fight and send Aqua Ranger here. He's deadly with his dirks and he has a Blade Blaster so he can use ranged attacks."  
  
"That might be a good idea," Matthias agrees, "but can three Rangers alone defeat this monstrosity? It dampens all magic in the area."  
  
"Your right," Silver Ranger agrees, "if not for the unique power that the Morphers possess, we would likely be in worse shape than you Knights. Say, how large is this dampening field, anyway?"  
  
"About fifty paces," Matthias replies, "why?"  
  
"Because I gots me an idea," Silver Ranger replies, smirking underneath his helmet. The Silver Ranger breaks off in a run, making it to fifty paces away from the battle fairly quickly, and summons his Silver Staff.  
  
"What good will that do you?" Matthias demands, "you can charge up an attack, but you won't be able to unleash it."  
  
"Oh really?" Silver Ranger asks before sending out a silver energy blast at the monster. The beam continues on, seeming to slightly diminish as it gets closer to the creature. It hits the creature, but does no more than make it stumble.  
  
"How did you do that?" Matthias demands.  
  
"Get the mages and wizards, and tell them to stay at least sixty paces away from that thing," Silver Ranger orders, "have them charge up their most destructive spells and have them launch them from a distance. The attack spells will diminish as they get closer to the monster, but they will do some damage to it when they hit."  
  
"Good plan," Matthias says, "how'd you think up such a plan?"  
  
"I play a lot of video games," was Silver Rangers reply, which Matthias did not understand at all. He runs off to get the mages and wizards and tell them what to do.  
  
~with the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Rangers~  
  
All three Rangers are battered, their shields half ripped off and their armor slightly tattered. However, the monster they had been fighting was in roughly the same condition. Several cuts all over its body showed where it had been nicked with the Aqua Double Dirks, and the monster had been forced to regenerate the end of its tail a total of four times. Now the battle had turned even further into the favor of the three Rangers because of one simple fact that they had discovered.  
  
The monster was stupid. Horrendously stupid, in fact. In a fit of desperation when it had been barreling down on her, Bronze Ranger had pointed the other way and yelled "Look over there!" Surprisingly, it worked. Repeatedly.  
  
"Okay, so now we know that this monster is as dumb as a box of rocks," Bronze Ranger says, "any ideas of how to take advantage of that? It's still too strong for us to deliver a finishing blow to it."  
  
"You two try your combination attack," Aqua Ranger says, "I'll distract it. When you launch your attack, I'll power up my own attack and add it to yours. The full power of the three of us should finish it off."  
  
"And if it doesn't?" Platinum Ranger asks.  
  
"Then we'd better hope that that thing gets crippled," Aqua Ranger replies evenly, "and that we can hold it off long enough for the others to join us."  
  
~at Atlantis~  
  
The mages and wizards of Atlantis, all of them at various ranks of mastery and levels of power, were gathered in one place for a single purpose. Such a case had not arisen since the Dark Specter attacked twelve thousand years ago. Now the assorted wizards, mages, and sorcerers of Atlantis were gathered together, powering up battle spells strong enough to do damage to the creature despite its magic dampening field.  
  
Silver Ranger grins underneath his helmet. He knew he could count of the magic users of Atlantis. If they managed to destroy the monster, then the three Rangers in Atlantis would be able to go and help the rest of the team defeat the monster that was attacking their hometown.  
  
Charging up the most powerful attack he could manage, Silver Ranger levels the Silver staff, aiming it directly at the monster, who was currently fighting both the Crystal and White Rangers. The rest of Atlantis' magic users do the same, leveling their scepters and staffs at the monster, or their hands, all depending on how they focused their magic.  
  
"Now!" Silver Ranger yells, letting loose his attack in one big blast. Both the Crystal and White Rangers take their cue and leap high into the air. The monster looks up, confused, but it doesn't remain confused for long as the various magical attacks slam into it. If not for the monsters magic dampening field, it would have already been destroyed. As it was, the combined attacks hurt it badly, but it was far from being destroyed.  
  
"No way!" Silver Ranger gasps, "it survived? That's just not possible!"  
  
"Silver Ranger!" It was Connerly, and he was rushing to the Silver Ranger's side along with Alex.  
  
"Yo dude, that was a mean plan, but everyone spent all of their power in that attack," Alex says, "none of us could even light up a candle. It's down to brute force now."  
  
"And this recepticle of brute force is tapped out," Silver Ranger says, "I can't face that thing hand-to-hand, it's too powerful to take one with no kind of projectile weaponry. And we couldn't muster enough firepower with all of the magic users of Atlantis combining their power into a massive attack. And I'm guessing that that dampening field would even affect the Zords, so we can't use them."  
  
"Then just hold him off until the other Rangers can make it here," Alex says, "I'm sure you can hold it off until then."  
  
"I sure hope so," Silver Ranger says as White and Rangers engage the monster once again, "I sure hope so."  
  
~with the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Rangers~  
  
Bronze and Platinum Rangers summon their Bronze Battle Ax and Platinum Partisan and prepare for their most powerful attack. Platinum Ranger begins twirling her weapon over her head, building up energy. Bronze Ranger does the same. Aqua Ranger engages the monster close range, keeping it distracted from what the two female Rangers are doing. As the energy builds up, the two Rangers find it harder and harder to build up more. They were getting close to a full power blast.  
  
"Now!" Aqua Ranger calls out as he leaps into the air, his dirks glowing with aqua energy as he powers up his own attack.  
  
The two female Rangers let loose the energy energy in a combined stream of bronze and platinum light. The two attacks completely mesh and slam into the monster. At the same time of impact, Aqua Ranger slashes downwards with his Aqua Double dirks, launching his own attack. It hits the monster a few seconds after the Bronze and Platinum Rangers' attac and enhances the damage. A few moments later the monster explodes, showering the area with debri.  
  
"Well, that was anti-climactic," Platinum Ranger mutters, "and it looks like it was destroyed too thoroughly for Dark Specter to ressurect it by making it grow."  
  
"Lets head to Atlantis," Aqua Ranger says, "I have a feeling the other Raners need us."  
  
"Right," Bronze and Platinum Rangers say in unison before all three Rangers teleport out in streams of bronze, platinum, and aqua light.  
  
~at Atlantis~  
  
Silver, Crystal, and White Rangers each have their hands full trying to contain the monster. It was too intelligent and too good a fighter for them to gang up on it. It kept dodging their attacks and making them hit each other. One on one with the other two using ranged attacks didn't work either because for the Silver Ranger to use a ranged attack he had to be at least fifty paces away from the monster and he couldn't stand up to the monster one on one long enough to do anything.  
  
A trio of energy blasts, one bronze, another platinum, and the third aqua, strike the monster in the back. Just in time to keep the monster from slashing through the Silver Rangers throat.  
  
"Good timing," Silver Ranger says as he rolls away from the monster, whose attention is now divided between all six Rangers.  
  
"What is that thing?" Bronze Ranger demands.  
  
"It's a Durl," Aqua Ranger says, "I fought one back during Dark Specter's attack one Atlantis. There were supposed to be eight of them, but we never found the eighth one. I guess it burrowed underground in some rural area and was never discovered. It must have slept for twelve thousand years. Durl are fast and highly intelligent. We had to use everything our wits would provide to destroy them one on one. I'm surprised you've done as well as you have with the Atlantean Ranger powers."  
  
"It has a magic dampening field," Crystal Ranger adds, "but it only extends fifty paces from it. Silver Ranger came up with the idea of having every magic user in Atlantis pool their power into one big attack and launch it at it from outside the dampening field. The attacks diminished slowly once inside the field, but they all hit with some degree of strength. That's what has done most of the damage you see it sporting."  
  
"Good idea," Aqua Ranger admits, "on Atlantis, we Rangers do not have to fight alone."  
  
"Yeah, but the Knights just can't handle a monster like we can," Silver Ranger says, "they aren't well enough protected or experienced enough. Nothing against them, they can handle Spectrons quite well as well as any other foot soldier that would appear, but the monsters are out of their league."  
  
"This monster may be as well," Crystal Ranger says, "I don't think the Atlantean Rangers are powerful enough to take it down."  
  
"Have you tried the Endbringers?" Aqua Ranger asks.  
  
"The what?" Silver Ranger demands.  
  
"Guess you haven't," Aqua Ranger muses, "okay, the Endbringers are another forms out Staffs can take. They send out a magical blast of power that any one of us could take down a Zord-sized monster with. But it is extremely draining. As hard as we've been fighting, we'll likely demorph."  
  
"But can they destroy the Durl?" Silver ranger asks.  
  
"All six of us use our Endbringers as the same time, without a doubt," Aqua Ranger says, "even with the dampening field."  
  
"Good," Silver Ranger says, "lets form up team."  
  
"How are we gonna keep the Durl pinned down while the Endbringers charge up their attacks?" Bronze Ranger asks.  
  
"I'll do it," Matthias says, "I'm in the ebst of shape out of all the Knights, and I've been studying that things movements. I can last long enough. Give me a warning before you fire and I'll be all right."  
  
"You sure?" Silver Ranger asks.  
  
"I swore an oath to protect Atlantis, even if it cost me my life," Matthias responds, "I'm sure."  
  
"You're a good man," Silver Ranger says, "good luck."  
  
"Thanks, I'll need it," Matthias says as he draws hiss word and rushes to face the Durl.  
  
"Okay, how do we summon our Endbringers?" Silver Ranger asks Aqua Ranger.  
  
"Like this," Aqua Ranger says as he summons his Aqua Staff, "Aqua Staff, Endbringer Mode!"  
  
The Aqua Staff changes slightly, one end of it opening up into a gun barrel- like shaft. The Aqua Ranger hoists the Aqua Endbringer onto his shoulder like he was holding a rocket launcher. Aqua energy laced with gold begins to gather.  
  
"Okay," Silver Ranger says, "Silver Staff, Endbringer Mode!"  
  
The six points on the Silver Staff change positions until all six are at the end of the staff, forming a six pointed star when looking at them from the proper angle. The orb at the end of the staff opens up as silver energy laced with gold begins to form. Silver Ranger holds the Silver Endbringer like a rocket launcher.  
  
"Bronze Staff, Endbringer Mode!" The points of what formed the ax blades of the Bronze Battle Axe swivel out, forming a dish at the end of the Bronze Staff. Bronze energy laced with gold begins to gather in the dish.  
  
"Platinum Staff, Endbringer Mode!" The blade at the end of the Platinum Staff shifts around, almost like it was semi-liquid, until it forms a disc with a spike at the center of it. Platinum Ranger hoists the Platinum Endbringer onto her shoulder like a rocket launcher. Platinum energy laced with gold begins to gather along the spike.  
  
"Crystal Staff, Endbringer Mode!" The Crystal Staff forms into an Endbringer very much like the Silver Rangers', and the Crystal Ranger holds it onto his shoulder like a rocket launcher as well. Metallic light blue energy laced with gold forms at the business end.  
  
"White Staff, Endbringer Mode!" The end of the White Staff opens up, forming a gun barrel-like opening. White Ranger hoists the White Endbringer onto his shoulder like a rocket launcher, just like the res tof the Rangers. White energy laced with gold begins to form within the barrel of the White Endbringer.  
  
"Matthias, move it!" Silver Ranger calls out. Matthias takes the warning and, after a slash to the Durl's gut, he breaks out into a run away from the monster.  
  
All six Rangers call out in unison "Endbringer, fire!" and energy erupts from their Endbringers. The six streams of energy merged together and form seemingly a solid wall of multi-colored sparkling energy that clams into the Durl. The attack carries through the Durl, not even diminished by the dampening field. The Durl is destroyed by the attack, causing a sight of relief to ripple through those watching the battle.  
  
The Rangers, however, do not sigh. One by one they each demorph and collapse to their knees.  
  
"Well, at least that's over," Jesse mutters as a cheer begins to form within the crowd.  
  
"Yup," Petite agrees, "the thing is, I don't think Dark Specter had this planned. Otherwise, I think both monsters may have shown up here on Atlantis, though in different parts."  
  
"Dark Specter was behind that monster we fought," Bethany says, "I'm sure of it."  
  
"Of that I have no doubt," Petite says, "but another battle like that one and we may be done for."  
  
"Well, I'm going home to take a nap," Jesse says.  
  
"I think I'll do the same," Nathan says as Ben echoes his sentiments, "that monster was brutal."  
  
Jesse, Nathan, and Ben teleport out in streams of silver, white, and light blue light.  
  
"Petite, would three Endbringers have destroyed the Durl?" Holly asks.  
  
"With that magic dampening field, no less than five would have done it," Petite replies, "the Durl is about half as strong as an Atlantean Warrior, but with the magic dampening field an Atlantean Warrior is brought down to about three quarters strength. An Atlantean Ranger is not affected, but we are limited in what we can do against a Durl."  
  
"I hope Dark Specter doesn't have any more Durl," Bethany says as she gets back to her feet, "otherwise, the Earth will be in some serious trouble."  
  
~somewhere else, later tht day~  
  
Six warriors, one in silver Ranger armor with a black shield with silver trim, one in bronze Ranger armor with a metallic bronze shield, one in platinum Ranger armor with a metallic platinum shield, one in a metallic light blue Ranger armor with a metallic light blue shield, one in white Ranger armor with a metallic white shield, and one in aqua Ranger armor with a metallic aqua shield fight a strange looking monster. It was gorilla- like in appearance, with spikes extending from its forearms and was wearing a familiar style of armor. All six of the apparent Rangers attack the monster in unison, driving it back.  
  
A fireball hits the one in silver in the back. They turn around, and the observer turns around with him, as if seeing from the eyes of the one in silver. Standing before him is a being very familiar to the observer. He was wearing gold armor almost identical to the armor worn by the creature the others were fighting. He had large, black-feathered wings and a face that was like that of a gorilla mixed with a pug. In the monster's right hand was a browadsword as long as his leg. The monster laughs, a coarse, evil laugh that sends chills down the observer's spine with familiarity. The Ranger in silver armor charges the new monster, summong a sword of his own. The two fight, swords clashing in a spectacular display of swordsmanship.  
  
The observer watches with interest as the monster known as Goldar fights the Ranger clad in silver, then in horror as Goldar knocks the silver-clad Ranger's sword out of his hand then knees him in the gut, sending the Ranger to his knees. Laughing, Goldar brings his sword above his hand, then delivers a vicious downslice aimed at the downed Rangers' neck. The observer tries to stop Goldar with a cry.  
  
"NO!" A young man in his early twenties sits straight up in his bed, sweat- drenched from the dream he had just had. Getting out of bed, he walks to the bathroom and washes his face with water from the sink. He stares into the mirror, uncertainty reflected in his dark eyes.  
  
"That was a dream of the future," the young man murmurs, "those Rangers I've only seen recently on the news. I've got to go and try to help them."  
  
The young man goes and places in a call to some of his friends, telling them that he has something to take care of. He places in his call to his brother and discusses the dream. His brother agrees with him that he had just ahd a vision of the future, and that he must follow his heart and do what was right.  
  
A day later, the young man is on a bus heading east. Wherever that place in his dream had been, it was east of where he currently was. Of course, that wasn't saying much since he was living on the west coast, in Angel Grove. He had to do what was right, and what was right was stopping Goldar from killing a Power Ranger.  
  
~~  
  
A little short than the lat few chapters, but good. How'd you like the end of this chapter? I'm not saying when the guy at the end of this chapter will appear, or who he is. Actually, I'm not sure when he'll appear, but it will be somewhere ein the next three chapters. As to who he is, he's gonna become one of the four mos timportant people in this entire story, the rest being some villains yet to be fully revealed.  
  
Please tell me what you think. Like it? Hate it? Planning to eviscerate me? Please tell me what you think in a review. 


	12. A Dark Force

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. The Atlantean Rangers are my idea. Many of the monsters that appear here either come from my own imagination or are from either the Yu Gi Oh card game or Magic: The Gathering. Some monsters will be based off a monster from one of those card games, but the name will have been changed. I do not own those monsters.

Author's Note: Please don't kill me for not having updated in so long. I just got so distracted with all of my other stories. I didn't want to leave this story behind, but inspiration dried up. You know, I started on this chapter when Dino Thunder aired, or shortly before that. Now I'm updating again AFTER the entire season is over. Though what a season it was! At least this time Tommy willingly lost his powers.

- -

"DORIT!" Dark Specter was not in a pleasant mood. It had only taken three of the Atlantean Rangers to destroy Dorit's prized creation, the Driel. Three meager Atlantean Rangers. Not just any three, but the three weaker Rangers at that!

Dorit enters Dark Specter's throne room, quivering in fear. "Yes, my lord Dark Specter?"

"Dorit, your Driel failed!" Dark Specter roars, "it only took the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Rangers to destroy it! Explain yourself!"

"Well, my lord, the Driel was not fully mature," Dorit explains, his fear evident in his voice, "if we had waited for it to fully mature, I have no doubts that it would have destroyed the Rangers."

"And how long would it have taken for it to fully mature?" Dark Specter demands.

"T-two years, my lord," Dorit quivers.

Dark Specter scoffs. "Two years? I cannot wait two years for such a weak monster."

"F-forgive me, my lord," Dorit whimpers, "I shall get to work on something else even more powerful than the Driel."

"See that you do, Dorit," Dark Specter warns, "you do not want to fail me again like you just did."

"Yes, my lord," Dorit bows, "I will not fail you again."

Dorit turns and exits Dark Specter's throne room, leaving the room empty save for the Dark Specter.

And one other occupant.

"I would say you handled that with your usual ruthlessness," a dry, raspy voice says. It sounded very much like falling grains of sand on gravel. "However, I would let him live. Genius such as his is such a rare commodity, and sooner or later one of his plans is going to work. In fact, that Driel would have worked perfectly had it been allowed to mature. In the time it would have taken to mature, he could have easily devised a way to speed up its maturing process. You may have only had to wait a few months. Though by then, you would likely not need the Driel."

Dark Specter turns his flaming gaze to the shadows the voice was coming from. Out stepped the Chaos Elemental, a devilish looking creature with dark gray skin, sparse yet wild white hair, and bony armor sticking out at joints and covering its eyes and its knuckles like a set of claws. Its black eyes seemed to emit an unholy radiance, and Dark Specter immediately knew that the Dark Sorcerer Methus was there to keep a tight rein on his minion.

"Greetings, Dark Sorcerer," Dark Specter rumbles politely.

"Greetings, Dark Specter, Monarch of all that is Evil," the Chaos Elemental replies, "it seems that your Ranger problem has grown more powerful since I was last here a few short Earth weeks ago."

"Yes, it has," Dark Specter grumbles, "and to make matters worse, I only know the identity of their leader, the Silver Ranger! And he has such powerful wards around his home that I cannot have him killed in his sleep."

"Do not Rangers keep to themselves?" the Chaos Elemental asks, a little puzzled, "they tend to stay together. Have you not discovered who he is by watching who he spends his time with?"

"I cannot," Dark Specter admits, "when I obtained the Staff of Kaishin for you, it was revealed that until then his fellow Rangers did not even know his identity."

"A Ranger unwilling to trust others?" the Chaos Elemental laughs, a decidedly unpleasant sound, "what a novelty. Or perhaps it merely takes time to earn his trust. No matter. What about those he does spend his time with? Kidnap one of them."

Dark Specter knew he was treading on dangerous ground. If he asked the Dark Sorcerer why he was aboard his ship, then the Dark Sorcerer might unleash his hold on the Chaos Elemental and it would then proceed to destroy everything on the ship. If he did not take the initiative and ask why the Dark Sorcerer was gracing him with his presence, then the Dark Sorcerer might be tempted to take his deal to one of the foolish evil villains on Earth; Ransik, or perhaps the newly arisen Master Org.

"Mighty Dark Sorcerer, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Dark Specter rumbles politely.

"Ah, to the point," the Chaos Elemental chuckles, "very well. There is another artifact of the Kairo on Earth, and I want it. It is in Norway."

"And what shall be my payment?" Dark Specter demands. If he did not ask, he would not receive. The Dark Sorcerer would freely give anything promised, but it must first be promised. You had to be precise with the Dark Sorcerer, or he would not fulfill his end of the bargain. He was worse than an Onyx tavern merchant in that way.

"I shall lend you one of my minions to help you destroy the Atlantean Rangers," the Chaos Elemental says off-handedly, "I shall lend you Psyblaze."

Dark Specter's eyes widen in astonishment. Psyblaze was one of the most powerful psionics in the universe. His power in the realm of the mind rivaled Dark Specter's current power, though it was nothing compared to the Dark Specter's full power. His aid would be highly useful.

"Give me the location and I shall send Algoric and Doza to retrieve the artifact," Dark Specter promises, "what artifact of the Kairo will they be searching for?"

"The Hammer of Kaigin," the Chaos Elemental answers, a magical hologram appearing. It showed an elegantly crafted warhammer with a vibrant indigo hammerhead and an ebony haft that seemed to absorb light.

"I shall send Algoric and Doza immediately," Dark Specter promises.

"Very well," the Chaos Elemental says, "you have three days to appropriate the Hammer of Kaigin for me. If you are unsuccessful, then I will be most… vexed."

Dark Specter gulps and nods. Anyone who had gotten the Dark Sorcerer vexed with them always ended up dead… or worse. Master Vile used to have an older brother whose power made Master Vile look weak. Methus had eliminated him without a second thought, or any real effort.

"Of course, Dark Sorcerer," Dark Specter says. The Chaos Elemental laughs and vanishes in a ripple of Space/Time. Dark Specter lets out a sigh of relief. One day, he would be powerful enough to destroy Methus, but until then he was at the mercy of the Dark Sorcerer.

"Algoric! Doza! Get in here!"

Two large beings rush into Dark Specter's throne room. One was about six and a half feet tall wearing a black armor that gleamed almost like burnished bronze. The helmet left his face open, but it was unadorned, but it framed his face with a cruel countenance. He was wielding a seven foot long spear with a rust-colored blade, though the blade was far from rusty. In fact, it seemed almost newly forged. The other was shorter, a little under six feet tall wearing armor like that of an ancient Roman centurion, though it was rose pink. The helmet was of medieval English style, like that of a knight. His spear seemed no different from the one wielded by Divorx.

"Master, what do you wish of us?" the taller warrior asks. He was Algoric, 3rd ranked Master of Spears.

"Yes, please tell us," the other says. He was Doza, 4th ranked Master of Spears. Though he was of the same rank as Divorx, he was far more skilled and stronger in his own right. Divorx had barely held his rank.

"You shall go to Earth," Dark Specter commands.

"Earth?" Doza asks, "why there? It is such a crude place, and unworthy of the presence of one such as I."

"You will go where I order you to!" Dark Specter bellows, "you will go to the place known as Norway and locate the Hammer of Kaigin. You have three days."

"Yes, Dark Specter," Algoric grunts. He was not a very intelligent warrior, possessing more brute power than finesse. He was as strong as a second ranked Master of Spears, just as Doza was as skilled as one. Algoric did not have the skill to become a second ranked Master of Spears, just as Doza did not have the power to become even a third ranked Master of Spears, much less a second ranked one. The two made a hardy team, with Doza's brains and skill and Algoric's muscle. The two teleport out in whorls of orange and yellow light.

-Atlantis, the next day-

"They're doing pretty good," Jesse observes. Alex and Matthias were sparring. Matthias had sparred with each of the Atlantean Rangers except for Petite, and found their personal skills lacking. They relied heavily on the skills given to them by the Morphers, but they were slowly learning how to fight without them. It was slow going, too slow. They could now perhaps fight one of Rita's Putties to a standstill, but they would only be able to take one on in a one-on-one fight.

Alex, however, was better skilled than the others for two reasons: he did have a bit of self-defense training before Jesse became the Silver Atlantean Ranger and he did not have the ability to cheat in training by accessing inherent fighting knowledge in a Morpher because he did not have one. He had also been trained longer and more intensively than the others.

"Alex is quite skilled," Petite comments, "if we still had the Green Morpher, it likely would have chosen him. As it is, he could be my successor."

"Your successor?" Bethany asks, "how could you retire? Aren't you permanently bonded to your powers?"

Petite sighs. Well, what passed for a sigh with him. Petite was in truth the Aqua Golem Zord. During the first war with Dark Specter twelve thousand years ago, he had been Gary Drake, a member of the Clan Drake and the Aqua Warrior. When Dark Specter had attacked, the Atlantean Warriors had been overwhelmed. In a fit if desperation, he had merged his spirit with that of his Zord during the final battle. The end result had been his spirit being sealed to his Zord, though his Zord gained the ability to shrink to a more human size. He was still able to morph, and he was able to transform using his Aqua Morpher, but he was growing weary. He could not handle using the Atlantean Ranger powers after having used the Atlantean Warrior powers. He felt so much weaker. Too weak.

"I don't know," Petite admits, "but I will find a way. I cannot continue going on like this. I should have died twelve thousand years ago, with the rest of the Atlantean Warriors. Yet I did not. I ended up being sucked into a time vortex and landed in Pompei, just as the volcano erupted. I was trapped there until a couple of months ago. It was pitch black, so when I morphed I had no idea that I was using the Aqua Ranger powers and not the Aqua Warrior powers. I had been trapped for so long that any amount of power felt incredible. Plus, the first morph always brings out considerable power, and it was my first morph into the Aqua Ranger. I think it may have been the same day that Jesse was chosen and Dark Specter attacked that I awakened."

"I'm guessing that me morphing awakened the power in you," Jesse muses, "and I'm guessing that because of the structural composition of the lava flow that you ended up being buried in, Connerly and anyone else scanning for you were unable to detect you. You got out the day we found you, right?"

"Correct," Petite replies, "but I do not intend to be the Aqua Ranger forever. With the Green Morpher gone, the only Morpher Alex could be a candidate for is the Aqua Morpher. He does fit the requirements to be an Aqua Warrior, so he can definitely be an Aqua Ranger. Possibly even better on than I ever could be."

"But aren't you permanently bonded to your Powers now?" Jesse asks.

"Not quite," Petite admits, "though if I extracted myself from my powers now, some of my personality would carry over into Alex, or whoever got my Morpher, and I do not want that. It would be unfair to them and I do not want any more than my memory lingering in the land of the living."

"Well, we could still use your help for now," Jesse says, "we need someone who understands what we're going through as Rangers. We can't risk going to any previous Rangers lest we attract Dark Specter's attention to them. They couldn't handle Dark Specter's minions."

"Also, you do need a Ranger constantly on call," Petite adds, "Dark Specter attacks too sporadically, and we need someone to be on duty to go and hold off Dark Specter's forces long enough for Connerly to contact the rest of you."

"Yeah, we're still trying to come up with a good way for the communicators to wake us up," Jesse says, "I keep suggesting wearing them to bed and putting something to deliver an electric shock to wake us up, but I keep getting overruled by Bethany and Holly."

"That's because that is a cruel way to wake someone up," Bethany tells the older teen, "why not rig up a spell to drop a bucket of ice water on us instead?"

"How would you explain the ice water to your parents?" Jesse counters, "we've already improved the communicators vastly over the ones Billy Cranston originally developed. Vibrating function for when we're in a large group, clock so they can actually be passed off as watches, and a less obvious design. I'm telling ya, it wouldn't require much of an electric jolt. Just enough of one to drag you into consciousness."

"I still say it's inhumane," Bethany retorts.

"That it may be, but I would rather go through a slight physical discomfort than be late and end up costing a civilian their life by being late," Jesse responds.

"Be that as it may, perhaps each of you can develop a personal way to awaken yourself in case of a need?" Petite suggests, "Jesse can implement his electro-shock wake-up call while the rest of you make your own decisions."

"While he's at it, he could go through some electro-shock therapy," Holly says a bit acidly.

"And what would I need that for?" Jesse asks, "I'm not insane."

"You're not?" Bethany asks with some obvious disbelief.

"No, just a little crazy," Jesse admits, "there's a difference."

"Not much of one, if you ask me," Holly mutters while the other Rangers snicker at their leaders' glare.

"Oh joy," Jesse grumbles, then notices that Alex and Matthias are wiping the sweat from the brows, finished with the sparring match. "So, Matthias, how do you find Alex's ability?"

"He is quite competent," Matthias admits, "he's not up to the level you Ranger's are at, but he's not far behind. He has plenty of potential. Given time, he could probably develop shielding spells that will enable him to fight just as effectively as you Rangers, perhaps even create an alternative Morpher that will at least bring his powers up to that of the Atlantean Rangers. No force except the force that powers the Morphers can power another Atlantean Warrior."

"What would he do for a Zord?" Bethany asks.

"Your Zords have far more potential than you Rangers do," Matthias says, "your Zords are supposed to go along with the powers of the Atlantean Warriors. You know that if they reflected only the full power of the Atlantean Warriors, there is no way you could have taken on some of the monsters that you have if you had that much trouble against them with your Zords. But for a Zord, we can make do with something. He could take over one of the abandoned Zords of one of Zordon's teams. Or we could perhaps build him one."

"I wouldn't mind being a Ranger," Alex says, "I feel helpless not being able to join you guys in battle."

"Alex, you do know that Rangering is perhaps the most dangerous profession in the universe," Jesse says, "it's slightly less dangerous for the other Rangers because they don't have to worry about ambushes when they are alone or amongst a group of people. I do. I am glad that you're able to help me when it's just the two of us that are attacked, but still, you shouldn't be involved."

"But I am involved," Alex argues, "we can't change that. Whenever you need back-up, I will be here to give it to you. If something happens to one of you and you need a someone to take over for a while, or are in need of a replacement, I'll be here."

"Which is fortunate," Connerly says, "if one of you does happen to fall in battle, Alex can take up your Morpher for at least a short time."

"He can also do that when one of us has to go on a vacation or something with family," Bethany says.

"Good idea," Jesse says, "though he would still have to be a possible candidate and make the qualifications."

"Yes, otherwise it would be most dangerous to use the Morpher," Connerly agrees, "if he does not fit the requirements set by the Morphers, then he will not be able to use them."

"So, the only question is, which Morphers I can take up in an emergency, is that it?" Alex asks.

"It is," Petite says, "you can use the Aqua Morpher and the Green Morpher, if the Green Morpher were still viable."

"He should be able to use any of the Morphers," Eleanor says from where she was sitting, "I have observed in him the primary qualities needed to use any of the Morphers, even the Silver Morpher."

"Then why didn't he get the Silver Morpher?" Jesse asks, "he's a lot better than I am."

"It's not a question of the way you are now, but your potential," Connerly explains, "each of you has in your character now that draws your Morpher to you. However, there probably are several people out there that have the qualities in greater quantities than you do. But, you have the potential to become the idealized user of your Morpher or very close to it."

"So your saying that we have the potential to become ever better people?" Nathan asks.

"You do," Eleanor says, "you are all good people. Its your potential that is greater than that of anyone else on Earth."

"And someday soon, Alex will be joining your ranks by taking my place," Petite says, "I cannot continue living like this. It's too depressing."

"We'll find a way to help you," Jesse promises, "we're a team, and we look out for one another."

-the next day-

The Atlantean Rangers, minus Jesse and Petite, were playing a game of basketball, girls against guys. Currently, Bethany and Holly were whupping Nathan and Ben.

"I take back what I said," Nathan gasps for breath as the game comes to an end, "you girls are really good."

"Of course," Bethany says smugly, "we girls are better than you guys."

"Man, why couldn't Jesse join us?" Ben groans, "or Alex?"

"Dark Specter is likely keeping an eye on Jesse and is trying to find out who we are," Holly answers, "if he hangs out with us, Dark Specter will discover our identities. We need to keep our identities a secret for as long as possible. It'll enable the rest of us to at least keep semi-normal lives. We won't have to worry about Dark Specter making plans specifically for one of us."

"So he's protecting us by staying away," Nathan muses, "good excuse, but I think he just doesn't want to be around us. And it still doesn't explain Alex."

"Dark Specter has likely seen Alex teleporting to Atlantis with Jesse on a few occasions," Holly says, "and thus thinks Alex could be one of us. Since we don't wear out colors like previous Ranger teams did, Dark Specter won't be able to figure out which one of us Alex is supposed to be."

"I think we had better get some modern games set up in the Hall of Heroes," Ben muses, "that way we can spend time having fun with Jesse and Alex that doesn't involve sparring."

"Which Jesse does too much of," Nathan adds, "and is it just me, or is Jesse immersing himself in the knowledge provided by the Morpher a little too much and not taking the time to learn things himself?"

"He is relying on the Morpher too much," Bethany says, "he always has. He wasn't cut out for the role of the Silver Ranger at first. From what Alex has told me, he couldn't fight unmorphed when he first became a Ranger, and he still can't without the aid of the Silver Morpher. He comes up with new weapons and other things quicker than the rest of us because he immerses himself in the knowledge of the Silver Morpher, but he doesn't try to master those same abilities without the Morpher. It is possible for Dark Specter to create a barrier that blocks our morphing abilities or our access to the knowledge of our Morphers. Should that happen, Jesse will be nearly defenseless and easy prey."

"Should we try to get him to start learning things the hard way?" Holly suggests, "it is for his own good, after all."

"No good," Nathan sighs, "Jesse is a stubborn rascal. When he sets his mind on something, he doesn't let it go. He's still declaring that the games on the SNES are better than the ones on the Playstation."

"Some of them are," Ben points out.

"True, but not many," Nathan admits, "the point is, we won't be able to change Jesse's mind if he doesn't want to learn things without the benefit of the Silver Morpher. And that could end up getting him killed, or worse."

"What could be worse than being killed?" Ben asks.

"Captured and enspelled to become evil," Bethany answers, "the Morphers protect us from most mind control spells, but some are just too powerful for even them to ward off. The spell that Rita Repulsa used to create her Evil Green Ranger was one of the most powerful mind control spells in existence. And it doesn't take a spell. Prince Gasket brainwashed the Red Zeo Ranger using technological means."

"I hope Dark Specter doesn't try to enspell Jesse to be evil," Holly shudders, "if he succeeds, then we'd be doomed. Jesse is stronger than any of us, and he knows all of our weaknesses. Combine that with the ruthlessness of being evil in a situation like that and he'd kill us all before we would have a chance to defend ourselves."

"Could we defend ourselves?" Ben asks, "could we fight Jesse and possibly have to kill him to stop him?"

"He'd tell us too," Nathan points out, "he would tell us to kill him because protecting others is more important than any one of us."

"And that would be a win-win situation for Dark Specter," Bethany grumbles, "he kills us, Dark Specter wins. We kill him, we're down a Ranger and a leader and Dark Specter wins."

"He's not much of a leader," Holly comments, "sure, he directs us in battle, but he generally lets us do whatever we want."

"And when does he tell us what to do?" Nathan chuckles, "right when we need it. We're not a military unit, we're a team. We're supposed to trust in each others' abilities. He trusts in our abilities and merely gives us direction when each of us doing our own thing will not work, or we need a coordinated attack pattern."

"True," Bethany agrees, "and you know what? I think his leadership abilities come entirely from his Morpher."

"Agreed," Holly says, "every suggestion or idea he's ever come up with has come from his Morpher."

"He's only the leader because being the bearer of the Silver Morpher makes him the default leader," Ben says, "if not for the bearer of the Silver Morpher being the traditional leader, then he'd probably let Petite be leader."

"He'd likely welcome it," Nathan says, "in school he always made sure that in group activities he wasn't put in charge."

"So our leader doesn't want to be the leader," Bethany muses, "and its being forced on him. Well, we can't help him there. Petite is next on the chain of command, but he is unable to take over as leader. The bearer of the Aqua Morpher is third in the chain of command, and can only take over as leader if there is no one to bear the Silver Morpher."

"You asked Connerly about that, didn't you?" Holly asks. Bethany nods and Holly continues. "In any case, we're stuck with things as they are. Hopefully, our 'leader' will mature and this team'll reach its full potential."

"Only time will tell," Ben says as he picks up the basketball, "up for another game ladies?"

Bethany and Holly grin savagely. "You up for another butt-whuppin', boys?"

-later that day-

Algoric and Doza appear just outside of Oslo, the capital of Norway. They had detected some faint magical energies in the Norwegian National Museum and were there to investigate.

"I cannot believe that we have been sent to such a crude and uncivilized planet," Doza protests, "I am far to noble to be subjected to this."

"Dark Specter ordered us to come here and find the Hammer of Kaigin," Algoric grunts, "I am not about to make him mad at us."

"Agreed," Doza says, "Dark Specter is far too powerful for us to ever defeat. He is our lord and master, and when he orders us to do something, we do it."

"We should search for the Hammer of Kaigin," Algoric reminds his partner, "Dark Specter will kill us if we don't find it before our remaining two days are up."

"Then we should hurry," Doza says, "not just to please our master, but to get off of this wretched little planet. I'm getting filthy just being on this worthless mudball."

With twin whorls of light, the two teleport into the city.

-elsewhere-

"How much further to the museum?" Jesse asks his friend. The two of them were heading for the Atlantean museum because Alex was curious about Atlantean culture, which was part of his heritage, being a descendant of all of the previous holders of the Atlantean Morphers, save Petite the bearer of the Aqua Morpher. He was of a direct lineage to the previous holder of the Crystal Morpher, Darien of the Clan Green. As such, he was an important member to the team, despite not being a Ranger. He was a cultural link. All of the Atlantean Rangers, save Jesse, were descendants of the previous bearers of the Atlantean Morphers, but Alex had more Atlantean blood than the rest of them combined. The two of them were dressed in traditional upper class Atlantean garb:

"Its not much further," Alex says, "hopefully there are some magical artifacts there that could possibly help us create me a set of powers. Perhaps several items that, when used together properly, could form the needed energy matrix for me to base a set of Ranger powers off of."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Jesse demands.

As the two finally locate the museum, they discover that it was a lot bigger than they thought it would be. A LOT bigger. It would easily be the largest building either of them had ever been in, except perhaps the Hall of Heroes, which was the de facto headquarters of the Atlantean Rangers.

"Now that is a museum," Jesse says appreciatively. He liked museums in general, and one that would be as interesting as one on Atlantis would be well worth visiting. He would not be surprised at all if they came across live dinosaurs in there. Well, maybe in the zoo. But he would not be surprised at anything they found in there.

"It does look pretty good," Alex agrees, "just imagine what we'll find in there."

"I am imagining," Jesse says. Indeed, he was. His imagination was working overtime.

The two walk up to the large structure and into the entrance. Before they can take three steps into the building, a force field erects around Jesse and one of the guards steps up.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you must be carrying some sort of high-level magical object," the guard says politely, "you will have the relinquish it to enter."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Jesse says evenly, trying to hide his surprise at the force field. He throws a quick betrayed look at Alex that said 'why didn't you know about this?'.

"Sir, you will have to relinquish the magical item or you will not be allowed to enter the museum," the guard repeats.

"And I can't give it to you," Jesse repeats.

"Sir, hand over the artifact now or you will not be able to enter the museum," the guard repeats again, "if you do not relinquish it, then you will have to go elsewhere."

"Go ahead and give it over," Alex sighs.

"Fine," Jesse mutters as he reaches for his belt and detaches the Silver Morpher. He hands it over to the guard.

"This is," the guard begins, looking closely at the Morpher, then he yelps. "This is the Silver Morpher! You're the Silver Warrior?"

"Ranger, actually," Jesse replies, a bit shocked, "but yes, that is the Silver Morpher of Atlantis and it is mine."

"Sorry, its just that its been so long since any of the Atlantean Warriors were on Atlantis that the spells that allowed their bearers to bypass any barriers such as this one have been shut down," the guard apologizes, handing the Morpher back to Jesse, who returns it to his belt.

"Its okay, we should have known about these barriers," Jesse says, "its no big deal."

"I will take care of this problem immediately," the guard says as he lowers the barrier, "go on in sir. Have a good day."

"You too," Jesse says as he and Alex walk into the museum. The sight that greets them the moment they walk in is incredible.

In front of them is a group of seven statues. For some reason, Jesse recognizes them immediately for what they are: statues honoring the Atlantean Warriors.

The Silver Warrior was wearing silver samurai-style armor, armor like the shoguns of feudal Japan wore. It was not elaborately made, but it was easy to tell that it was practical for battle. A Japanese straight sword was held firmly by both hands.

The Bronze Warrior wore golden-bronze armor, solid and impenetrable. Yet at the same time it gave off an impression of being light and flexible, just like Ranger armor. Crimson shoulder armor with blue-white trim and white ringed chain mail protected the torso. With one hand just under the blades and the other at the end of the haft, the Bronze Warrior held an ornate double bladed battle-axe.

The Platinum Warrior wore armor that was a set of simple brown leather trousers, platinum dragoon armor1. The helmet wasn't as obtrusive as a standard dragoon helmet, but it did fully protect the Platinum Warrior's face. Clasped in the right hand of the Platinum Warrior was an ornate partisan.

The Crystal Warrior wore an outfit like that of the old French musketeers, a cutlass with a crystal hilt and unbreakable crystal blade held aloft in their right hand. The over-tunic was a pale blue made of a shimmering clothe.

The White Warrior wore armor that was like that of a medieval English knight, with gold and sapphire trim. An ornate warhammer was held in both hands.

The Aqua Warrior wore armor that appeared to be a blue bodysuit with an aqua colored tunic over it and metallic aqua armor (envision the armor that Merric and the other ancient Warriors of Animaria wore in Merrick and Princess Shayla's flashbacks colored like that) over that. An exquisite pair of dirks were held in the Aqua Warrior's hands.

The Green Warrior wore a gleaming white bodysuit made of enchanted Atlantean cloth, which would clearly be enhanced by the magic of the Green Morpher in real life, shown like a star on the horizon. Wearing an emerald and forest green breastplate and a jade green helmet, the Green Warrior looked impressive. The Green Warrior held no weapon, since the Green Warrior was always either an outstanding hand-to-hand combatant or a powerful mage. The Green Warrior was standing beside the Silver Warrior, their arms crossed in front of their chest.

"Wow," Jesse says simply. That was really all that he could say. Alex nods in agreement. They walk past the tribute to Atlantis' heroes and find the gallery holding the various magical artifacts and weapons.

"Hey Alex, think this would work?" Jesse asks, indicating a sword. The blade was thirty-nine inches long and two and a half inches in width. It was double-edged and shined with a brilliant sheen. An emerald, the size and shape of an egg, was set in the hilt. It was highly polished, and seemed to glow with a subtle radiance.

Alex examines the history and knowledge of the sword that was displayed before them. "No, its power isn't compatible with our needs. It can close and heal rips in Space/Time that are not controlled. Hopefully we'll never have to requisition this blade."

"Ah," Jesse says, then moves on to look at the other magical battle gear while Alex examines the various magical talismans and jewelry. He finds several rings, three sets of earrings, a necklace, three pendants, an amulet, and a circlet that would work, but they did not possess enough power in and of themselves to suit the needs they had or were drained of energy. The same was said of the magical battle gear. Jesse found dozens of weapons that may one day be beneficial to them, but none that could help Alex and Connerly develop powers for Alex to use to join them in battle.

Finally, they give up and move on to another section of the museum. Things that were regarded as 'relics of the ancient past' was little more than a dim memory outside of Atlantis. Artifacts from the civilization on the island of Mu, another one of the lost civilizations that sank beneath the waves untold millennia ago, as well as artifacts from several Central and South American and several coastal African nations of the ancient world could be found. Artifacts from ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and even far-off Japan and China could be found. Atlantis had had contact with virtually the entire world in addition to beyond the stars themselves, alliances with Eltare, Edenoi, Triforia, Xybria, Mirinoi, Aquitar, and even the M 51 galaxy before it fell the Master Vile. There were even records of some slight assistance going to the last wizards of the M 51 galaxy in creating the mighty Zeo Crystal. Stories of how the sorcerers and blacksmiths of Atlantis had aided in the forging of the Transdaggers, the Quasar Sabers, the powers of the Magna Defender, and even guiding Ninjor early in his career in creating some Power Artifacts, morphing devices to be used by great and mighty heroes and warriors all over the universe. The Power Coins of the Aquitian Rangers were made in Atlantis' own forges.

The duo went their separate ways within the museum, Alex going off to look at the various tomes and just general information about Atlantis and its natural history while Jesse studied the history of their defense. He learned in intricate detail how the gems that gave the Atlantean and Imperial Morphers their powers were discovered, how the various Morphers were created, and the fate that had befallen those who had last wielded the Imperial Morphers. He had wanted to see the Morphers themselves, but they were under the mightiest protection spells on Atlantis, with enough power flowing through those spells to power half of Earth for decades if transferred into electricity. And even he, the leader of the Atlantean Rangers, was not allowed access to them. He had asked Connerly if Alex could perhaps use one of the Imperial Morphers, but he had been told that the Imperial Morphers had been tainted with far too much evil to risk being used. It would not do to take down Dark Specter only to have a far, far more dangerous evil take his place. Or to have to kill one of their own.

While looking through an exhibit on how Atlantis first came into contact with the ancient Egyptians, Jesse's communicator went off.

"This is Jesse," Jesse says into his communicator, "whats the problem?"

"A pair of Dark Specter's henchmen have appeared in Oslo, Norway," Connerly answers, "teleport to the Hall of Heroes first."

"Okay," Jesse replies, then teleports out. A few moments later, Alex follows him.

-Hall of Heroes, Atlantis, Limbo-

"This is not good," Bethany murmurs as she watches the viewing pool. Doza and Algoric were trashing the Norwegian museum, obviously searching for something.

"What are they looking for?" Alex asks.

"Apparently, this," Connerly replies, shifting the image in the pool to a warhammer. It was simple in appearance, with a haft made of the darkest ebony and the head appearing to be a vibrant indigo.

"That resembles the Staff of Kaishin," Holly remarks.

"It is the Hammer of Kaigin," Connerly explains, "similar to the Staff of Kaishin, and with a similar origin too. And similar powers. We cannot let Dark Specter get his hands on this."

"I can retrieve it while everyone else distracts clown one and clown two," Ben says, "I'm the best among us with a hammer, so if I get it and they attack me, I can use it to defend myself."

"Good plan," Jesse agrees, "the rest of us will take care of whatever flunkies Dark Specter has sent down."

"Then lets go," Petite says, "call it out, leader."

"Don't call me leader," Jesse scowls, "but anyway. It's Morphin time!"

The six Ranger's teleport out after morphing.

The Rangers arrived just in time to keep Doza and Algoric from getting the Hammer of Kaigin, teleporting in right between the two Spear Masters and the Hammer of Kaigin.

"Stop right there," Silver Ranger orders.

"And if we don't?" Doza asks lazily. Yes, the Silver Ranger may have defeated Divorx on his own, but both Algoric and himself were far superior to that pathetic lump. Algoric had the skill of a 4th ranked Spear Master and the strength of a 3rd ranked Spear Master. Doza had the skill of a 2nd ranked Spear Master, but not the strength of even a 3rd ranked Spear Master. They had nothing to fear from these uncouth humans.

"If you don't, well, you'll end up dead," Silver Ranger says flatly.

"Like you could kill us," Algoric snorts, "leave and we will spare your lives for now."

"White Ranger, grab the Hammer," Silver Ranger orders, "we'll cover you."

"I think not," Doza says as White Ranger moves towards the Hammer of Kaigin, "Spectrons! Attack!"

A full platoon of fifteen Spectrons teleport in and attack the Rangers, who instantly spread out to cover the way to the Hammer while White Ranger heads for the Hammer itself. Aqua Ranger moves in to face Doza one on one while Algoric moves in with the Spectrons to attack all of the Rangers.

Aqua Ranger summons his Aqua Double Dirks to fend off Doza's spear. The two of them are comparatively skilled, but Aqua Ranger is a little stronger and a little faster. Neither one can get the upper hand on the other.

The other Rangers could have easily dealt with the Spectrons if Algoric wasn't fighting alongside them. Algoric, though not very smart, knew how to win a fight. While the Spectrons were able to fight the Rangers three or even four on one, they still were no match for the superior power and skill of the Atlantean Rangers. So Algoric evened the odds for them by attacking a Ranger from behind, or distracting a Ranger so a Spectron could get in a cheap shot. Needless to say it was not an easy battle.

Silver and Platinum Rangers end up fighting back to back to ward off the Spectrons and Algoric while Crystal Ranger and Bronze Ranger end up in a similar position. White Ranger was still trying to make it to the Hammer.

"Any ideas, Silver Ranger?" Platinum Ranger asks.

"Only one I can think of is someone engage the big guy in single combat while the rest of us mop up these Spectrons," Silver Ranger answers as he parries a Spectrons sword.

"That's fairly dangerous," Platinum Ranger remarks as she twirls her partisan and clubs a Spectron in the back of the head with the bladeless end. "Who would be crazy enough to do that?"

"Well, you do know the kinds of tactics they would use," Silver Ranger remarks, "you use a long weapon, same as them. Slightly different techniques can be used, but the principal is the same."

Platinum Ranger nods. "I'll do it. Bronze Ranger, Crystal Ranger, and I couldn't hold off this many Spectrons if you engaged him. And neither Bronze or Crystal Rangers could face that big guy alone. He looks too strong. I would know the kinds of moves he can pull though. I just hope I'm strong enough."

"You'll do fine," Silver Ranger assures her as he manages to land a solid kick to the chest of a Spectron, sending it flying.

Platinum Ranger moves in and engages Algoric, Platinum Partisan whirling in a blur of motion. The two long weapon wielders fight back and forth, using every scrap of skill that they possessed to try and one-up the other.

Meanwhile, White Ranger has managed to get hold of the Hammer of Kaigin, but he is assaulted by Spectrons from all sides. A teleport barrier has been erected, keeping him from teleporting out with the Hammer. So instead of retreating, he uses the Hammer as his weapon. Slamming it into the chest of one Spectron, he completely obliterates the Spectron's chest armor. Spectron after Spectron charge him, but he knocks them away easily with the Hammer of Kaigin. Pulling out his Blade Blaster, White Ranger blasts several charging Spectrons, sending them to the ground, their chestplates demolished.

Silver Ranger, Bronze Ranger, and Crystal Ranger fight with every available bit of strength and skill they possessed. Crystal Ranger fights with his Blade Blaster in Blade Mode in his left hand while using his Crystal Cutlass in his right hand to take down Spectron after Spectron. Bronze Ranger uses her Bronze Battle Axe to cleave a Spectron in half, using the momentum to decapitate another, its head sparking as it rolls on the floor. Silver Ranger's Silver Saber whips to and fro, slicing through Spectron armor easily.

"Give it up, Aqua Ranger," Doza sneers, "you cannot hope to defeat me!"

"I disagree," Aqua Ranger replies, moving his Double Dirks in a cross block, stopping Doza's strike. The two break off and circle one another, trying to find an opening. "Give it up, scum, you will not defeat me!"

"We shall see!" Doza snarls as he leaps at Aqua Ranger.

Meanwhile, Algoric and Platinum Ranger were trading blows. Platinum Ranger, while not as strong as Algoric, had more skills to implement. She was quicker than the large Spear Master and could dodge his strikes more easily than he could hers. With a twirl of her Platinum Partisan Platinum Ranger parries Algoric's attack and slices him across the torso. He recovers quickly and slams the blade of his spear against the floor, sending blasts of energy through the ground to hit his goody-goody opponent. Platinum Ranger is rocked by the blasts, but manages to maintain her footing. Algoric charges, his spear whirling before he slashes Platinum Ranger across her shield, sending her sprawling.

A blast of bronze energy distracts Algoric long enough for Platinum Ranger to get to her feet. She slashes Algoric across the gut before stabbing him. She then applies a little leverage and sends Algoric flying over her head and into the wall. The large Spear Master gets to his feet, gazing at his diminutive opponent carefully. She was much stronger than she looked. Not as strong as he was, but she was faster, perhaps more skilled as well. But not more experienced, and Algoric knew he had the size and strength advantage. He just had to use what he had in the best way against his smaller opponent.

"Had enough?" Platinum Ranger asks.

"No," Algoric snaps, spinning his spear, Alachachlel, over his head before bringing its point down, aimed at the Platinum Ranger. Orange lightning arcs around the spear before shooting out right at the Platinum Ranger, who spins her Platinum Partisan in front of her, her magic barrier holding off the attack for a moment before it breaks through, slamming into the Platinum Ranger and knocking her to the ground. Algoric charges the fallen Ranger, readying his spear for an upslice that was cleave her in to, but the Bronze Ranger body checks him to the side.

Algoric scrambles to his feet to find all of the Silver, Bronze, Crystal, and Platinum Rangers facing him. He knew he was in trouble. He might have been powerful, but he was not skilled enough to take them all on. And Doza was busy with the Aqua Ranger. He would have no help with them since they had finished off all of the Spectrons, with the only ones left keeping the White Ranger busy.

Algoric snarls. "Don't think you've won just yet, Rangers!" Algoric slams the butt of his spear into the ground. Bolts of energy travel up and down the weapon before the blade begins to shimmer.

"Behold the power of Alagachlel!" Algoric roars as he sweeps his spear at the Rangers, sending a large wave of energy slamming into them, driving them to the ground. Crystal Ranger makes it to his feet first. He charges Algoric, his Crystal Cutlass clashing against Algoric's spear, Alagachlel. Sparks erupt as the mighty magical weapons meet, their wielders trying to outmatch one another. Algoric twists his wrist and sends Crystal Ranger flying, another flick of his wrist making his spear rake across the young heroes body as it comes crashing down into the floor. Silver Ranger delivers a dropkick to the side of Algoric's head, knocking the large Spear Master aside. Algoric quickly recovers and unleashes a bolt of orange lightning that Silver Ranger blocks with his Silver Saber.

Bronze Ranger jumps in, slamming her Bronze Battle Axe into Algoric and creating a large gash in his armor. A vicious backhand sends her flying but leaves Algoric open for Platinum Ranger to slice open his armor again with her Platinum Partisan, this time opening up a spot over his stomach. Algoric slams the butt of Alagachlel into Platinum Ranger's side, twisting his wrist to send her flying, bringing his arm down fast to slice her across the torso, sending sparks flying as her protective barrier strains to keep his blade from opening up her armor and piercing her flesh. Algoric swings Alagachlel around, catching Silver Ranger in the side of the head with the butt of the enchanted weapon, the blade of the spear slicing into Crystal Ranger as he tries to get to his feet.

"FOOLS!" Algoric roars, "I am invincible with Alagachlel!"

"Then we'll just have to take that toy away from you," a voice says from behind Algoric. The large Spear Master turns just in time to see White Ranger bringing the Hammer of Kaigin down on his right wrist, shattering his bones and forcing Algoric to drop Alagachlel. Algoric roars in pain, driving his left fist into White Ranger's gut and sending him flying into the wall. He drops the Hammer.

"Your friend is losing," Aqua Ranger says as he circles Doza.

"He is merely a lackey, brute force to complement my intellect," Doza replies civilly, "I would not even look at him if he did not wield the legendary spear Alagachlel."

"You mean the same weapon that has been knocked from his hand?" Aqua Ranger asks.

Doza almost freezes. Algoric had dropped the Alagachlel? This could be his chance to take the spear and finally have the power to be ranked as a 2nd Level Master of Spears. Doza turns and dives for the spear, surprising the Aqua Ranger. Aqua Ranger immediately realizes what Doza is doing and follows, but Doza beats him to Alagachlel. He hefts the spear and sends bolts of energy at the other Rangers, driving them away from Algoric. Doza tosses Algoric his own spear, a spear that had many strong magical properties, but it was far inferior to Alagachlel. Algoric takes it, knowing that it wasn't his spear but right now they needed their better fighter with as much power as he could achieve. Plus, he figured that Doza would give him Alagachlel back once they were back on Dark Specter's ship.

"Algoric, grab the Hammer!" Doza orders as he sends out more bolts of energy at the Rangers. Algoric swats the White Ranger aside and grabs the Hammer of Kaigin. He immediately teleports out in a whorl of orange light.

"Well Rangers, it looks like you failed!" Doza laughs, "ta ta!"

After one last parting shot, a bolt of energy that arcs over all six Rangers, nearly forcing them to demorph, Doza teleports out in a whorl of yellow light.

"Damn it, he got away!" Aqua Ranger growls.

"Let's head back," Bronze Ranger says groggily after she gets back to her feet, proceeding to help Platinum Ranger to hers, "we need to inform Connerly of this development."

"You guys are gonna find a way to blame this on me, aren't ya?" Silver Ranger asks sarcastically as he surveys the damage.

"Yep," the other five Rangers say in unison. Silver Ranger just grumbles and lets loose a burst of magic guided by his Morpher, the magic repairing most of the damage done during the battle. With a nod to one another, the six Atlantean Rangers teleport back to Atlantis.

-Dark Specter's ship-

"Alright Doza, give me my spear back," Algoric growls to the smaller Spear Master.

"I don't think so, Algoric," Doza replies lazily, "I think I'll keep Alagachlel for myself."

"What do you mean?!" Algoric demands, "return Alagachlel to me!"

"I think not," Doza says as yellow and blue energy sparkles around Alagachlel's tip. A split second later Algoric is staring at Doza with wide eyes before his vision becomes black and blurry. Algoric turns gray as Alagachlel drains away his life force and turns him to stone. Moments later Algoric crumbles away into dust. Doza smirks and leaves his remains for a cleaning unit to take care of. Yes, today had been a good day, even if he had had to go down to a grubby little planet like Earth. He got high praise from Dark Specter for attaining the Hammer of Kaigin for the Dark Sorcerer Methus and he had eliminated that oaf Algoric, taking the mighty spear Alagachlel from him. He was now accordingly ranked as a 2nd ranked Master of Spears. Yes, it had been a good day indeed.

-Dark Specter's throne room-

"My lord, I bring good news," Dorit says as he hurries into Dark Specter's throne room, "an accident earlier in the lab created a very interesting specimen. Allow me to introduce Gidokar."

The clanking of footsteps was in a pattern that Dark Specter easily recognized. It was reminiscent of one of the greatest evil warrior's to ever live, Goldar. The clank of armor was just off, but it was unmistakably the evil champion's style of armor, which only he wore. Dark Specter knew that this would be amusing. Had Dorit tried to resurrect Goldar?

In walks a rather large creature, approximately seven and a half feet tall, covered in spikes and golden armor. The armor was almost identical to Goldar's with just a few black emerald stones set into the armor in an intricate pattern and changes where it had spikes. The creature was decidedly gorilla-like in appearance. Despite its armor, the creature moved with a fluid grace that showed that despite its large, bulky size, it was also incredibly agile. However, its eyes did not show much in the way of intelligence. This thing, Gidokar, was strong, but it was far too stupid to be of use.

"Dorit, you fool, this thing has no intelligence whatsoever!" Dark Specter rumbles, "it would be useless against the Atlantean Rangers. Perhaps one on one, but that won't happen."

"My lord, that is easily corrected," Dorit replies smoothly, "your magic can certainly increase his intelligence. Gidokar can certainly use his natural abilities well, but he could not strategize to use his abilities to take your enemies apart the way he is obviously meant to."

Dark Specter nods. "Dorit, take Gidokar and throw him into the training simulators. I shall need time to erect the spells."

Dorit nods and leaves with Gidokar. Dark Specter turns his gaze out the window to his throne room, his smoldering eyes fixed on the Earth. Soon, he would conquer Earth and then conquer the rest of the universe.

-Earth-

"So, you feeling alright Ben?" Holly asks.

"Yeah, I'm doin' alright," Ben responds, "I'm a little upset at myself for letting Algoric get away with the Hammer of Kaigin, but I guess it couldn't be helped. They were pretty strong."

"No, they just had a lot of back-up," Holly says firmly, "if there hadn't been so many Spectrons, or just one of them, we would have done a lot better. They out-maneuvered us, that's all! We'll get them next time, I promise!"

"Holly, they nearly caused us to demorph!" Ben cries, "if they had done that, they would have killed us without a second thought! Next time could be our last!"

"Ben, we're Rangers, sworn to defend and protect!" Holly says sternly, "we are supposed to be ready to lay down our lives to stop Dark Specter and anyone else who comes after Earth."

"I know that!" Ben exclaims, "but I don't think that I'm cut out for this."

"You are," Holly insists, "the White Morpher chose you because you were the best for it.

Over a hundred miles away, a young man with long brown hair walks across a bridge, completing another major step of his journey. The sign on the bridge says "Welcome to the State of Tennessee."

"They are here, somewhere."

- -

1 Imagine the armor that dragoons wear in Final Fantasy Tactics, or possibly the armor that Kain wears in Final Fantasy IV.

Advertisement 

Story Name: Fade to Darkness

Author: Tsukino Akume

Story ID: 15741456/1/

Summary: Tskino Akume's Fade to Darkness is one of the best Power Rangers stories I have ever read. Character development is great, and there are more romantic couplings than you can shake a stick at. Some are shocking, and some involve original characters, but plenty of depth is given to each original character that you feel for them just as you feel for the canon characters. Everyone gets a soul mate.

Story Name: Always A Ranger Series

Author: JTrevizo

StoryID: 1745270

Summary: As the Dino Thunder team begins its career, how will Tommy's past affect his present?  
My opinion: One of the absolute best stories I have ever read! JTrevizo is a genius of the highest caliber. Its sequel is also a work of sheer genius. One of the best Power Rangers stories written in the last year.

Author: Dagmar Buse

Author ID: 7429

About: Dagmar Buse is one of the best Power Rangers authors around. She doesn't write many series, but she is well known for her one-shots and mini-series. Any one of her stories is good.

If you know of a fic that deserves attention, or an author who write Power Rangers fics or crossovers that are good, leave the story ID or author ID in a review or e-mail it to me.

On a side note, I must say that in this fic Power Rangers Dino Thunder will not happen, and that there are a lot of things that will be very different. You are welcome to make guesses as to why this will be the way it is. Kudos to anyone who can guess the identity of the guy at the end of the chapter.

Well, I hope you review and tell me what you think. I don't know when I'll update again, it depends on how much Power rangers fan fiction I read to keep me in the mood.


End file.
